Column: Black athletes serve a greater purpose beyond just entertainment

As an avid fan of the NBA playoffs, even during the bubble, my Wednesday evening looked much different than I anticipated.

I was expecting to kick the night off by watching the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Giannis “Equality” Antetokounmpo, close out the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the first round. I expected to see the words “Black Lives Matter” run across the top of my screen again with the majority of the players donning a short message on the back of their jerseys. I thought I would have something to distract me from my homework and occupy several hours of my time.

Of course, none of that happened. But knowing what happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 23, there’s no way it could have. 

Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot by police seven times and is now paralyzed from the waist down, an incident that happened not too far from where the Bucks typically play. It was reported that the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors discussed not playing in Game 1 of their series, but the Bucks took it upon themselves to make the first move.

From there, the Bucks were able to start a chain reaction around the sports world. The WNBA soon announced they too would not be playing after players from the Washington Mystics arrived to the game in shirts that spelled the name "Jacob Blake" and had seven bullet holes on the back, representing the seven times Blake was shot by police. WNBA players first led the charge to put a message on their jerseys when it was announced Breonna Taylor's name would be on every player's uniform. 

The Milwaukee Brewers followed suit and refused to play their game against the Cincinnati Reds. Naomi Osaka opted not to play in her semifinal tennis match. The MLS did not play five of its six scheduled games. One of the latest reports is that players for Wednesday and Thursday's NBA playoff games will all be refusing to play in protest, and the postseason may resume this weekend. Former Tar Heel and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith even walked off the set of “Inside The NBA” in solidarity with the players.

What was telling about yesterday wasn’t just that we were devoid of sports for the night.

It wasn’t just that the games were postponed, but rather that the players decided what happened.

As much as these leagues post statements on social media, have players wear Black Lives Matter T-shirts on the bench or have coaches wear pins on their shirts, it has always been up to the individuals on the team to transcend the title of “athlete” and make sacrifices on their own. The owners and coaches sometimes support the players publicly, but historically, it has always been the players who speak out on their own.

When Muhammad Ali opted not to serve in the Vietnam War, he almost went to prison. When Craig Hodges, wearing a dashiki, went to the White House in the early 1990s with a letter that spoke to the racial discrimination Black people were facing in the country, it cost him his NBA career. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in 2016, it cost him his NFL career. In none of these cases did the leagues or organizations that they played for endorse what they did. If anything, it was fellow players in the sport they played that stood — or knelt — by them.

The NBA players who started their wildcat strike on Wednesday’s games have been criticized for “not having a plan” while some have asked “What’s next?” Those very concerns speak to the role professional athletes have had over the years in promoting social justice. It means that the viewers are looking to them for guidance, even when they're physically isolated from the rest of the country. They now have the United States' attention and are making it known that what happens in the world around them is far more significant than the sport that they play. 

When players in any professional league make unified decisions, as they did on Wednesday, it signals to everyone on the hierarchy of the league to pay attention. There were reportedly several players in the NBA, most notably Kyrie Irving, who had concerns about entering the NBA bubble with the racial unrest in the United States following the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others.

Many wanted to go back into their communities and foster change. While the NBA bubble has succeeded in avoiding positive COVID-19 cases, it does hinder the mobility of the players to be physically present in protests as they had been prior to the NBA restart. With the spotlight back on them, NBA players have the opportunity to recapture the momentum they had this summer.

Being both Black and a sports journalist, I would love to have sports to write and talk about. But with the existing police brutality against Black people in the midst of a pandemic, there are more appropriate topics to discuss. Addressing the systemic racism in this country has a far greater importance than covering any UNC athletics program. 

The players — well, people — on every roster have experiences beyond their field of play that can be utilized to create change. The rest of the sports world, including the media, must support them in doing so.

@Jerem11ah

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com