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The Last Night’s Game Team
Boycotting sports
On Wednesday the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA – National Basketball Association) started a movement by boycotting their playoff game in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake. Since then we’ve seen the pause in sports from the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball) and NHL (National Hockey League). The NBA season was all but over Wednesday night as players voiced their desire to choose to fight for racial justice vs. continuing to play. Michael Jordan, the only black majority owner in the league, reportedly became the mediator and voice of reason between the league and the players. At this moment, no formal announcement has been made, but all signs point to the playoffs continuing as planned. Games for all sports are scheduled to resume between today and tomorrow. STAND UP, SPEAK OUT
Overtime
The Tour De France (cycling) was postponed from July and scheduled to start this weekend. While we were excited to don our spandex and watch the picturesque European countryside go by, there is now doubt that the race will happen. The race is slated to start in Nice, which is one of 19 new regions in France to be placed under red alert. There is little room for error in the 23-day race (only two of those are rest days) that spans just under 2,200 miles. HURRY UP AND WAIT
Sideline stat
Jackie Robinson Day celebrates the life and the legacy of the man who was the first Black MLB player in history. Typically, the recognition is on April 15 but since teams weren’t playing at that time, it has been moved to today. All the players will don the No. 42, Robinson’s number, which is the only number retired by all 30 teams. In addition, more than 100 current and former Black MLB players will donate their salaries from yesterday and today’s games to efforts to combat racial inequality and aid Black communities. HONOR AND RESPECT
Coaches’ corner
One of the points of frustration that drove the Bucks to make the critical decision to boycott their game was that they weren’t seeing change. The Bucks reportedly spent a significant amount of time on the phone with the Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, which then led to Wisconsin Governor calling for a special session of the State Legislature to vote on a police reform. One of the other movements is the LeBron James’ founded organization “More Than A Vote.” One of the efforts is to make voting more accessible by utilizing sports arenas and stadiums as polling locations. Yesterday, the Toyota Center (Houston Rockets - NBA) joined the growing list of polling locations that includes Dodgers Stadium (MLB). INCITING CHANGE
