The date of Aug. 26 should serve as another reminder that "sticking to sports" is an absurd statement, as is "shut up and dribble." It's a reminder of the power of sports, that real-life issues are bigger than a game.
For the first time in his 49ers uniform, Colin Kaepernick peacefully protested racial and social injustices in America by sitting during the national anthem of a preseason game at Levi's Stadium against the Green Bay Packers four years ago on Aug. 26, 2016.
Colin Kaepernick did not stand during the National Anthem - my picture provides proof. https://t.co/NZ2OIceBxA
— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) August 27, 2016
This was not the first time Kaepernick took a seat. It was, however, the first time he did in uniform before his preseason debut as he was returning from injury. He later took a knee after meeting with Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media's Steve Wyche in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.
"There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Exactly four years after Kaepernick first protested in a 49ers uniform, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks decided to boycott the game after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot from behind seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis. on Sunday, which is less than an hour from where the Bucks play their home games.
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Bucks point guard George Hill told The Undefeated Marc J. Spears after his team's decision "We’re tired of the killings and the injustice."
Bucks guard George Hill says to @TheUndefeated his team is not playing against Orlando tonight in light of shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc. “We’re tired of the killings and the injustice,” Hill to @TheUndefeated.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020
Players all across the NBA supported the Bucks' decision on social media. Following Milwaukee's boycott, the NBA and NBA Players Association postponed the rest of Wednesday's playoff games. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported a player told him "the season is in jeopardy."
Emotions are raw, players were already worn out of bubble environment prior to the Jacob Blake shooting and sources say discussions within teams are ongoing about postponing tomorrow's three games too -- and beyond. "The season is in jeopardy," one vet player here tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Kaepernick, now 32 years old, hasn't been signed or played in a NFL game since he protested throughout the 2016 season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in a conversation with former NFL player and FOX Sports 1 analyst Emmanuel Acho, admitted in a conversation that was aired Sunday that he should have listened to Kaepernick earlier.
"I wish we had listened earlier, Kap, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to." Goodell said to Acho. "We had invited him in several times to have the conversation, to have the dialogue. I wish we had the benefit of that, we never did.
"We would have benefited from that, absolutely."
Kaepernick remains out of the NFL, and the NBA season could come to an end. Aug. 26, a day to remember in sports history forever.
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August 27, 2020 at 05:12AM
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NBA boycotts happen exactly four years after Kap's protest - NBC Sports Bay Area
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