American sport on a volcano after the Jacob Blake affair

Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow

6 min

After the police shootings which seriously injured Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old African-American, the world of American sport has mobilized like never before. Several basketball, baseball and football matches have been postponed or boycotted. Now, the most media figures are looking for new ways to fight racism. And Donald Trump does not appreciate it.

Publicity

Hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, sport suffered a brutal halt in the United States on Wednesday August 26. And this time, the Covid-19 has nothing to do with it. It was the Milwaukee Bucks who launched an unprecedented movement by boycotting their NBA game scheduled for the evening against the Orlando Magic.

The team, led in particular by George Hill and the last MVP (best player) Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to show its anger after the new case of police violence which took place in Kenosha, about fifty kilometers from Milwaukee, in Wisconsin : On August 23, Jacob Blake , a 29-year-old African-American, was shot seven times in the back by a white policeman during a check. He has since been in serious condition, and his relatives fear he will remain paralyzed for life.

Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB

Several postponements before a lull

The footage, which has shocked and caused deadly unrest in the city since then, prompted the Bucks to boycott their game. And in the process, their refusal to play spread like wildfire: the other basketball matches of August 26 and August 27 were postponed, baseball and football matches were too.

Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tenniswoman born to a Haitian father, has also announced her withdrawal from the Cincinnati tournament "  to protest against the shooting of the police on Jacob Blake  ". And in the NFL (American Football League), several teams canceled their training sessions on Thursday, in solidarity with the victim. Never has such a boycott been seen in sport in the United States.

"We all deserve better." (via @ BumpNrunGilm0re) pic.twitter.com/JrLQeWF0ux

Finally, this Thursday, August 27, sportsmen and women began to change their minds. Naomi Osaka will play well in her semifinal in Cincinnati. “  After my announcement and extensive consultations with the WTA Women's Tour and the American Tennis Federation, I accepted their request to play on Friday [the matches scheduled for Thursday were postponed to the next day by the organizers]. In my mind, it brings more attention to the movement,  ”she said in a statement to The Guardian and The New York Times .

On the NBA side, it was also decided to resume the playoffs this weekend. ESPN and The Athletic media report that a big meeting took place between the players on Thursday morning. And if the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers voted for a stoppage of the season, the other franchises have opted for a recovery, less restrictive for everyone in an already tense economic context. But what happened in Kenosha is going to have consequences for the end of the season.

The NBA remains mobilized, Trump rages

“  We are asking for change. We're fed up,  ”Lakers star LeBron James said on Twitter on Wednesday. Always up, the basketball player, very involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and in the fight against racism, reaffirmed Thursday on the social network: "  Change does not come with just words !! It only happens with actions, and it must happen now!  "

Change doesn't happen with just talk !! It happens with action and needs to happen NOW! For my @IPROMISESchool kids, kids and communities across the country, it's on US to make a difference. Together. That's why your vote is @morethanavote ✊🏾 #BlackLivesMatter

NBA players want to mark the occasion. This league, made up of 80% African-American basketball players, has long taken a stand on the societal issues that divide America. Convictions that join those of many American football players, including Colin Kaepernick , and which irritate Donald Trump. The US president, campaigning for his re-election, did not fail to attack the NBA again, which had already allowed players to imitate Kaepernick's knee-to-ground gesture.

Thursday, Donald Trump hit the nail on the head by believing that the NBA has become "  like a political organization  ". “  I don't know much about the protests within the NBA. I know their ratings are very bad because I think people are fed up with the NBA,  ”he said.

After the boycotts on Wednesday and Thursday, the US president can expect new pronounced positions, especially in the NBA. According to ESPN and The Athletic , the decision to continue the playoffs would have been taken only on condition that the players could express their opinion even more strongly on the issue of racism and police violence. In these troubled times, American sport reflects the societal divisions of the country.

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• United States
• Sports
• Racism
• Donald trump
• Basketball
• Tennis

On the same subject

TRNHAITI

United States: in Kenosha, tribute of anti-racist activists to victims of deadly violence

Police fire on Jacob Blake: a knife found in his car, a teenager arrested

Police fire on Jacob Blake: the NBA at a standstill after the boycott of the players