2020 American athlete strikes

2020 American athlete strikes
DateAugust 26, 2020 (2020-08-26)
LocationCanada and United States
TypeStrike
ThemeShooting of Jacob Blake
ParticipantsNational Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
Major League Baseball
Major League Soccer
Women's Tennis Association
National Hockey League
National Football League

On August 26, 2020, some professional athletes in the United States began to go on strike for their respective sports contests in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[1] After the video of Blake's shooting in which he was seriously injured went viral,[2][3] protests and riots broke out in the city of Kenosha and elsewhere.[4][5] As a result of the shooting of Blake and the protests which followed, on August 26, professional athletes refused to play in their scheduled sports events, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[6]

Some athletes in the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Major League Soccer (MLS) decided not to play their games on August 26.[7] Also on that day, the Women's Tennis Association Cincinnati Masters organizers postponed the tournament for one day to August 27, 2020.[7] The strikes extended into August 27 and 28 when players from the National Hockey League (NHL) walked out of their playoff games.[8] In response to the athlete strikes, nine National Football League (NFL) teams canceled their scheduled practices on August 27, 2020.[9] The athlete strikes occurred as part of the broader racial unrest in the United States since 2020.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference FTW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Williams, Derica (August 24, 2020). "'I didn't see a knife:' Man who recorded viral video of shooting of Jacob Blake 'hopes he gets justice'". Fox 6 Milwaukee. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Raice, Shayndi (August 27, 2020). "Jacob Blake Shooting: What Happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ^ JOHNSON, MIKE (August 24, 2020). "WATCH NOW: Crowd turned violent overnight". Kenosha News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Jones, Sophie Carson and Meg. "Kenosha businesses damaged and vehicles burned after police officer shoots Jacob Blake in the back". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bucks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Time was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference NHLcancel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference NFLcancel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. "The Players' Revolt Against Racism, Inequality, and Police Terror". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 24, 2020.