By Kate Fishbone ’22, Sports Editor

For the past five months, all eyes have been on the Black Lives Matter movement. Light has been shed on the discrimination within America’s justice system, leading people to take action. Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Elijah McClain, among other people of color, the movement took off with protests, demonstrations, marches, and talks. 

On August 23, more fuel was added to the fire when 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by white police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, paralyzing him from the waist down. Blake, a father of six, moved to Kenosha to raise his family, but instead was shot while three of his children watched. The shooting, captured on video and spread worldwide, entailed outrage and anger. To support Blake and continue the fight for justice, Kenosha filled up with protesters in the days after Blake was shot. Although the shooting is in an ongoing investigation, many people have already taken action to support him. 

The NBA is involved in the fight for Jacob Blake. After the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play in Game 5 of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic, many teams followed their lead. The Bucks warmed up on the court but would not leave the locker room for the start of the game. After other teams planned similar protests, all three games scheduled for that day were postponed. Even before the shooting of Blake, NBA teams showed support. Jerseys and uniforms were changed to read phrases including “Black Lives Matter”, “Equality”, and “Justice.” 

Bucks guard Sterling Brown spoke out regarding the decision not to play: “Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protesters. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.” In addition, the senior vice president of the team, Alex Lasry, agreed with Brown, tweeting, “Some things are bigger than basketball. The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”

Along with the NBA, the WNBA also canceled their games scheduled for the 23rd. Their regular-season games, at IMG Academy in Florida, were postponed to support Blake. The MLB followed as well, with the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners as the first teams who refused to play. 

In addition, Naomi Osaka, a professional tennis player ranked number one by the Women’s Tennis Association, took initiative to wear masks at the US Open with the names of victims of police brutality. In her first match, Osaka wore a mask that said “Breonna Taylor” to honor her life that ended earlier this year. In her following matches, she honored Trayvon Martin, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Parents of the victims expressed their thanks and gratitude to Osaka for her actions. 

Athletes have a huge influence in America, and they are using their power for good. The public, especially the younger generation, watches everything they do and follows their lead. Through these instances of activism, teams like the Milwaukee Bucks are setting an example for all of America to stand up for racial equality.