I would be remiss not touching on what is the hottest topic in the world of sports, the recent postponements of league and playoff games by Professional sports in response to the tragic shooting of Jacob Blake in Kinora, Wisconsin.
Yet another tragic moment where a white officer uses excessive force towards a black man, this time Jacob Blake being shot 7 times in the back when he was entering back into his SUV where his kids sat in the back.
Although it appeared Jacob had no weapon, the police now allege that he had a knife and put one of the officers in a headlock before he let go and went to enter his vehicle.
What they can’t dispute it the officer shot Jacob 7 times in the back in lieu of other means to subdue, contain him with his partner before using deadly force.
In lieu of potential criminal charges being brought forth for the very least assault with a deadly weapon (as Jacob is still fighting for his life in ICU and was handcuffed to his bed until recently when I am writing this) using deadly force to this extent he and fellow officers involved in the incident are put on “administrative leave” pending investigation of the incident?
Really?
What is the justification for lack of justice that has been called out now by many professional athletes starting with Lebron James, identified by commentator on ESPN as being of the top 5 most influential athletes in the globe when he shared this tweet
Having worked in security for BC Place Stadium for many years and been trained in use of “reasonable force” to deal with unruly fans and having worked with many police constables and sergeants as a result, I agree 100% with Lebron’s statement, pulling a gun is the LAST resort and first shot would be to subdue someone (i.e. shooting in the leg) or to be used in self defence for their lives (i.e. when gun pointed at them). There is no way the officer in question can make either of those claims based on video footage.
Much like when I watched the video of George Floyd when I watched the Jacob Blakes video where the officer pulling the trigger 7 times I was again sick to my stomach.
In lest we forget why the movement why BLACK LIVES MATTER has led to so many protests as a result, the issue of racism including white police brutality towards black people or other members of colour has been going on for decades which is what lead to the recent postponements of COVID-19 delayed league and playoff games.
The first by the Milwaukee Bucks who as a team took the stance they would not play and then the Orlando Magic and then the NBA postponed games on a Wednesday, much like they were the first league to shut down their season due to COVID-19 also on a Wed (Mar 11) and the NHL on the Thursday (March 12)
Fast forward 5 months, the NBA shuts down first, MLB and MLS canceled games but the NHL played on even though discussions started on Wednesday by a number of players to do the same?
Unlike COVID-19 league response to shut down the season, this time it was the players that pressuring the league and owners to do so as they had reached out to members of the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance (HAD) co-founded by Evander Kane and Akim Aliu that now includes many other minority members in the NHL. The dialogue continued Thursday morning after the Vancouver Canucks had a team meeting and Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson then reached out to Ryan Reeves who were scheduled to play that evening.
In ESPN article, Bo shared “We talked about it in the room this morning. We realize the impact it’s having on the world and in the sports community, seeing what was going on in basketball and the MLB. We wanted to go over and talk to Ryan and Vegas. We just all thought it was the best course of action,” Canucks center Bo Horvat said. “We have to come together. This stuff can’t stand. We need to educate ourselves and understand what’s going on in the world. There needs to be change. Us, being all together here as one, shows strength in the hockey community and in the world.”
As a result of pressure from the NHLPA and negative press they were receiving, the NHL then postponed games Thurs and Friday to protest Jacob Blakes shooting and will return to play Saturday
Ironically all of these events transpired the week that the MLB was to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, on Friday Aught 28th, 7 decades after he broke the colour barrier for Major League Baseball.
Traditionally the MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th, where all players wear 42 on all teams in recognition of his contributions to the game (which has been retired permanently for the league), but MLB was shut down to COVID-19 they opted for Aug 28th this year in lieu
This was to recognize the day that Jackie, his wife Rachel and children participated in the March of Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King delivered his infamous “I have a dream speech”
Jackie was rookie of the year, MVP numerous times and helped the Brooklyn (now LA) Dodgers win the World Series in 1955.
This was no easy task for Jackie as the racial challenges he broke the colour line by himself and faced numerous racial challenges well before the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King and very March of Washington he participated in well after he retired and was nominated in the MLB Hall of fame in 1962.
He continued to be an advocate for the civil rights movement after he retired until he sadly passed away as a result of a heart attack in 1972 when he was 53 years old.
I have watched many sports movies over the years but one of my all time fav’s as a result of my Papa Johns (my step grandfather) love for the game of baseball was 42, the story of Jackie Robinson as I wanted to learn more of his favorite players. He would share with me all the time that he was his favorite as he changed the game of baseball, as well as sports for the better and how disappointed he was he died so soon.
It was because of her love for the game of baseball, that it became one of the many sports that I played and became a fan of the Montreal Expo’s growing up in Montreal. The recent postponement of NHL/NBA games reminded me of the lockout season where the Expo’s were the front runner to win the World Series in 1994.
It is also why this is one of my favorite clips from the movie and why all players wear 42 on April 15th every year since 2004.
Fast forward and many other sports and political leaders have come forth to open the colour barrier and reduce racism in sport and the world to include;
Bill Russell 60’s
As a member of the Boston Celtics in 1961 he lead other black players on his and opposing team St. Louis Hawks to protest racist behavior in Lexington, Ky although the game was played by white team mates.
He shared when interviewed afterwards “I am coming to the realization that we are accepted as entertainers, but we are not accepted as people in some places”
Muhammed Ali 60-70’s
Arguably the GOAT of boxing, and one I am the biggest fan of what he did not only for the sport, but also his fight against racial injustice throughout and after his career. One of the driving reasons he opted out of the army to go to Vietnam was due to the racial injustice in the USA he felt needed to fight more.
One of his most infamous quotes
“Why are all the angels white? Why ain’t there no black angels?”
Nelson Mandela 90’s
I could not write any post about racial inequality, injustice, or brutality without referencing I believe was one of the greatest leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela.
20 Years ago in the first every Laureus Global Sports awards he shared his infamous speech “Sport has the power to change the world” when he was asked to introduce the first ever recipient of the lifetime achievement Award Pele in 2000.
This after Nelson was president of South Africa where he was instrumental for ending apartheid after serving 27 years in prison of a life sentence but then pardoned in 1990 for conspiring to overthrow the state. During his first year as President one of the tactics he did to unify the country post-apartheid and integrate white and black constituents was provided advice and guidance to captain of their World Cup Rugby Team that South Africa was hosting they went on to win in 1995.
Colin Kaepernick
In 2012 he took over as starting QB for the San Fransico 49’ers and lead them to their first superbowl since 1994 and in a preseason game in 2016, he took a knee during the anthem as a protest against racial injustice, police brutality and systematic oppression.
The protests continued in 2017 until Donald Trump told NFL owners they should “fire” players that protest against the anthem (arguing it was disrespecting all the current and veterans of the military and the American Flag which never was the reason for him or others that followed suit taking the knee)
Colin became a free agent and was not signed by another team, and filed a collusion lawsuit against the NFL as no teams would hire him and in 2019 received a confidential settlement so withdrew his grievance.
In the fall of 2018, although still waiting settlement from the NFL, Nike produced this commercial narrated by Colin
After Nike released their commercial, they received praise, the value of their stock and sales increased and received numerous positive comments on all their social media platforms for supporting Colin and his stance against racism and police brutality.
Yes, there were still those on the other side arguing that he was disrespectful, and although he lost his career in the NFL, he did not give up on what he truly believed much like all the other examples above starting with most recent postponed NBA/NHL and other sports games to protest racism, tragic brutality and injustice.
This is why Nelson was so correct when he shared that Sport has the power to change the world and we WILL see a change for the better as a result. In order for it truly to change, everyone involved in sport, whether it be professional, collegiate, school or community sports need to continue the conversation so the momentum is not lost.
Black Lives Matter.
#theconversation