Following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court this afternoon in their postseason game. It was the strongest form of protest we’ve yet seen in the sports sphere. In response, the NBA postponed the other two playoff games scheduled for today, and is meeting with the players to discuss how the season proceeds from here.
Now, the Milwaukee Brewers are taking the same stand: they will not play tonight against the Reds.
The Brewers have decided not to play tonight’s game.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) August 26, 2020
We will update this post on the fly, as this is jaw-dropping, important, and breaking news. Other teams may follow suit.
UPDATE: It is indeed being discussed by other teams:
Following the cancellation of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds game tonight, more teams are discussing the possibility of not playing, sources tell ESPN. Among those currently discussing it: the Seattle Mariners, who have the most Black players of any team in MLB.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2020
The Cubs and Tigers are scheduled to play in Detroit in one hour.
UPDATE 2: Jared Diamond confirms that the Reds joined the Brewers in declining to play tonight, so it is not a forfeit. I can’t imagine a team taking a “win” in a situation like this.
UPDATE 3: Jason Heyward is a healthy scratch tonight for the Cubs, which, given the timing, is impossible not to assume is a justifiable protest. He’s got our full support. Actually, update as I type, that is what is happening:
According to the Cubs, Heyward and Ross spoke about it and Heyward decided not to play. https://t.co/soL0ZvfVPO
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 26, 2020
I will be very interested to know what, if anything, Heyward’s teammates will say about their own decision (at the moment) to play.
UPDATE 4: Mariners players decided not to play their game against the Padres tonight:
The Mariners have voted to not play tonight.
Austin Hedges, Tommy Pham and Manny Machado just met with Kyle Seager, Shed Long and Marco Gonzales.— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 26, 2020