August 26, 2020: Four years to the day of when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first spoke about protesting in the NFL against police brutality, a seismic shift shook the world of sports.

In anticipation of a potential playoff series clinching Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, the clock struck 4:00 P.M. with not a single Milwaukee Bucks’ player in sight. Then at 4:13 P.M. a Woj bomb like no other hit the Twitter sphere as esteemed ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski delivered the news that the Bucks would be boycotting the game in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin. This would be just the first of many dominoes to fall.

Later that day the NBA announced that all three games that were scheduled to be played Wednesday afternoon would all be postponed. Other leagues like the WNBA, MLB and NHL would follow suit, boycotting their games in favor of showing their support of the NBA players decision.

WNBA players lined up along the court spelling out “Jacob Blake” on their t-shirts with seven bullet holes in the back to represent the incident in question. The Seattle Mariners as a team unanimously decided not to play on Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres. Even young tennis star Naomi Osaka joined in, choosing not to play in the semifinals of the Western and Southern open going as far as to say, “Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman.” With players across a multitude of sports leagues, America’s pastime has now become the beacon of social change.

For those who may not be aware, we have never in American history had a turn of events like this in the sports world. We have seen the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 make history by coming back from being down 3-1 to the Golden State Warriors to end the 52-year pro-sports championship drought for the city of Cleveland. We have seen the New England Patriots complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history by overcoming a 25-point comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51to secure quarterback Tom Brady’s sixth NFL championship. But this historical movement is bigger than some championship drought or some Lombardi trophy.

This movement would be the first time that a sporting event was canceled or postponed due to a boycott/protest against social injustice. The closest thing we have seen to this is came back in 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky when the Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell led a boycott against playing in a preseason exhibition game in response to him and some of his other African American teammates being denied service in a local coffee shop at their team hotel. Although they chose not to play, the game of course still continued. This movement brewing in 2020 reaches far deeper than that. The entire sports world on pause for 24-48 hours. The entire world watching as their favorite players of various sports chose not to play all in favor of the same goal: Racial Equality.

As a member of the African American community I can openly say that I am proud of these players for what they have done. Can you end racial inequality in a day? Of course not. Will Caucasian police officers stop hurting and killing unarmed African American men just because a couple of players stopped playing? I cannot say that that is true either. But what I do know is that these players have caught the attention of these professional team owners and they are the ones who truly can help lead the charge towards social reform.

These wealthy team owners are not just billionaires. They are heirs to historically renowned families. They are sponsors and even friends of particular political figures. The kind of power that they use to help put money in their pocket is the same power that could build a bridge between the African American/minority community and the politicians needed in order to develop the social reform this country needs.

I am no politics wiz and will not try to pretend that I know what needs to happen next. I am not even sure if the players  know exactly what the next steps need to be because being a professional activist was not what these men and women worked their whole lives to become. But the platform they have gained and are using has caught the eyes of many in route to what I hope will be our first move towards further social equality.

Earlier today on Fox Sports’ show “Undisputed” hosted by sports analysts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson joined their show and made a strong point that I feel would be good for most to hear. He said, “They accumulated visible capital, the capital of attention. We live in a political economy of attention…They broke through this iron cage of media to deliver a message that ‘We are not going through with business as usual.’”

Today marks the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington in which Martin Luther King jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream Speech.” As we celebrate this glorious day that represents so much in the furthering of the country’s journey towards social equality we must all realize that this is only the beginning, but it is most definitely the beginning of the emergence of a sports atmosphere like we have never seen before. 

Jalon Dixon
Jalon Dixon

BSL Analyst

Hi there! My name is Jalon Dixon, but most people just call me Jay. As an aspiring, young sports writer and podcaster, I enjoy discussing sports (mainly basketball and football) and sharing my knowledge with others. Growing up right in the middle of Towson University, Morgan State, Goucher College and others, I have gotten the chance to learn so much about a handful of the different athletic teams that thrive here in Baltimore. I want to be the voice of local fans and teams that may not get the same spotlight as others, but still play a big part in our everyday lives. My motto is “Always Embrace Conversation,” so if you ever want to give me feedback on a piece or even just have a friendly sports debate, feel free to email me! Hope you enjoy my work and maybe even learn something along the way.

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