Inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, the Milwaukee Bucks were supposed to play game five of their playoff series against the Magic tonight. But Bucks players, outraged by the shooting of Jacob Blake by the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police on Sunday, decided not to participate in the game.
Within minutes, other sports journalists announced on Twitter that the protest had begun to spread beyond the Bucks. First it was the Thunder-Rockets game; soon, the entire slate of playoff games on Wednesday night was canceled.
It’s not immediately clear if the NBA powers that be unilaterally canceled the games in anticipation of a widespread protest, or if the teams collectively agreed not to play. Regardless, the Bucks’ decision holds major significance, and may presage more stoppages in the NBA, and perhaps in Major League Baseball and the NFL down the road.
The Bucks’ move follows months of protest inspired by the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, in addition to the shooting of Blake. It also comes the morning after a white teenager shot and killed two protesters amid demonstrations in Kenosha. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Illinois can be seen on video walking past the police after shooting the protesters. He wasn’t arrested until today.
Some sports commentators called this a boycott. But the term is inaccurate, and dampens the political thrust of the Bucks’ protest. They are not withholding their commerce. They are withholding their labor. This is a strike. A wildcat strike, to be specific, since it was not authorized by the players union and in fact appears to violate the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement:
That’s courage, and a timely demonstration of power.
"strike" - Google News
August 27, 2020 at 04:47AM
https://ift.tt/31x02q1
NBA Teams Are On Strike Over Police Brutality - New York Magazine
"strike" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WheuPk
https://ift.tt/2VWImBB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NBA Teams Are On Strike Over Police Brutality - New York Magazine"
Post a Comment