NBA players took real political action over Jacob Blake. Will others follow? | Bhaskar Sunkara
They might have become millionaires in their 20s, but many of the NBA’s athletes still identify with those facing the brunt of violence and neglect
This week, it’s easy to see two possible futures for America. Our darker path is on display at a Republican National Convention reaching new levels of xenophobia and paranoia. Every night, millions of viewers are hearing about enemies, “human sex drug traffickers”, even, being just barely held back by the steady leadership of Donald Trump.
And then there’s basketball. Not just an incredible week of playoff comebacks and buzzer beaters, but real political action. Players from the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic went on a wildcat strike of sorts on Wednesday and decided not to play game five of their playoff series. They were protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old black man shot seven times by police in the back this Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.