SPANISH HARLEM – I was hoping to give you some NBA playoff talk today but that changed in a heartbeat yesterday.
There were rumors starting on Tuesday that the Milwaukee Bucks were thinking about boycotting Game 5 of their playoff game versus the Orlando Magic and sure enough before game the news broke that they would not play.
If you haven’t heard, Jacob Blake was shot 7 times by police on Sunday and as of right now, he is alive but in intensive care. You would think the odds would be against him but I call it a miracle… if you can call never walking again a miracle.
This is the world we live in now; #blacklivesmatter is as important as anything going on. You saw that as more teams decided to not play. We can include the rest of the NBA teams that were set to play after the Bucks and Magic on Wednesday. Soon after, it was the WNBA, MLS and Major League baseball, who all decided to protest the shooting of Blake soon after the decision was made.
The point I’m trying to make here is that sports has evolved and the players realize they can play a part in making this world a better place. There was a time when “shut up and play” would be an argument amongst people but that has changed, and rightfully so. The people that want to watch sports to get away from all this drama have nowhere to hide. It’s important to look at the here and now and the valuable lessons to be learned from all this.
Police are here to protect and serve, not take lives into their own hands. I believe there is this god syndrome that affect many in the force because they have weapons and they are able to use them how they see fit. I’m not trying to offend anyone here but you see it way too often. If your a Police officer and aren’t ashamed by what you are seeing from your fellow peers than something is wrong with you. You are the people we are fighting against.
I read some discussion threads on Bleacher Report and it boggles my mind how some people reacted to these protests. Without naming names, one thought that the #BLM movement has caused more racism, like there wasn’t a lot of it to begin with. Some were mad at the players for taking a stand, calling on them to play because that’s what they are paid to do. They made it as if players were robots or people without feelings that shouldn’t be affected by what is going on.
It’s a damn shame, to be honest with you.
I applaud and respect all the players and teams for taking a stand by boycotting on Wednesday against the people that tried to kill Jacob Blake. Kids watch sports just as much as adults and we need to connect to the younger demographic and have them understand what is going on… That this is wrong and change is needed. When it becomes their time to do what’s right, they will do it the RIGHT way.
Some of you might point to the Yankees or Mets playing yesterday. I know that and again, that’s not the point here.
I apologize for being emotional about this but it’s something I care about dearly. Please come back tomorrow for Different Matt, until next time…
