Did the NBA strike change sports forever?
“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.
What’s happening
The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks set off an unprecedented collective action in U.S. sports when they refused to take the court for their playoff game Wednesday in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis.
Within hours, the NBA’s remaining schedule was put on hold as the rest of the league’s players joined the Bucks in solidarity. Athletes in the WNBA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and professional tennis also refused to compete as a statement against racial injustice and police violence.
In the days leading up to the strike, many of the NBA’s top stars had expressed dissatisfaction with the league’s efforts to promote racial justice in the wake of police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — which included painting "Black Lives Matter" on the courts and allowing players to put social justice messages on their jerseys.
On Wednesday night, NBA players — who have been sequestered together in a coronavirus-free bubble in Orlando, Fla. — reportedly held a meeting to discuss next steps. The debate was reportedly tense, and the possibility of ending the season entirely was on the table.
In the end, however, the players reached an agreement with the league and team owners to resume play in exchange for commitments to further the cause of social justice, which include the creation of a league-wide social justice coalition and turning some NBA arenas into voting locations for the upcoming presidential election.
Why there’s debate
There’s no question that the actions of NBA players and athletes from other leagues who joined them were one of the most significant acts of protest in the history of American sports. But once the shock had subsided, the conversation quickly shifted to the question of what happens next.
On a practical level, the strike has forced the NBA and team owners to take specific strides to build social justice initiatives. Players have said they plan to use the platform provided by the playoffs to keep racial justice issues in the national conversation. NBA superstars like LeBron James have also made social justice and voting rights a key part of their off-the-court lives.
The impact of the strike could go much further, many experts say. By taking a collective action against racial injustice — rather than the individual protests like Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling — NBA players showed the incredible power they hold over a multi-billion dollar industry. With that leverage, the players could demand that the league make a larger and more permanent commitment to the cause of equality. Athletes in other sports could follow suit, as well.
The strike could also fundamentally change the relationship between athletes and fans, some argue. By withholding their labor, players sent a tacit message that they aren’t willing to provide entertainment for the public unless they feel supported as human beings, rather than merely as athletes.
A small number of critics have questioned whether the strike will have much of a long-term impact, in part because the players weren’t willing to commit to ending the season completely and because of other societal and systemic issues with race relations in the U.S.
Perspectives
Athletes’ willingness to walk away fundamentally changes the power structure in sports
“Anyone who thinks this quiet rage will blow over, or won’t have a lasting impact, doesn’t recognize how significantly the world just shifted. ... By refusing to play, the Bucks said they are no longer willing to be America’s escape, celebrated when they’re entertaining us but treated like trash when they take off their uniforms.” — Nancy Armour, USA Today
There will be vocal pushback from a small number of angry fans
“There are plenty of players trying to explain it all to the masses, though, to tell what it’s like to be a Black father, a Black man, a Black kid, a Black driver, a Black homeowner, a Black whatever in America. Why wouldn’t you listen? Again, you don’t have to agree with it all. Yet for the oversensitive, that is apparently too much.” — Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports
Players have demanded that fans treat them as human beings
“America can no longer enjoy its black gladiators, in particular, without recognizing the full value of their lives. If the status quo continues, we now know what these athletes can, and will, do.” — Jamil Smith, Rolling Stone
Social justice will be an inexorable part of American sports from here on out
“Today, players in virtually all sports — but especially basketball — are unafraid to speak out, to protest, to “take a knee” during the national anthem. I know people who fervently wish that sports could remain separated from the problem the country faces. But those days are over.” — Joe Nocera, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The impact of the strike was lessened when players decided to resume play
“We wish the players could stay off the court until all law enforcement officers acted as if Black lives mattered, or at least until sports fans across the country recognized the problem of systemic racism and took it upon themselves to solve it. But, then, who knows when the NBA would ever play again.” — Editorial, Los Angeles Times
The billionaires who run the NBA will ultimately decide how much changes
“Like other corporate entities, the teams have First Amendment rights, and as they read the shifting political winds, they’re trying to position themselves to maximize profit. ... Protests in sports succeed when the leagues and owners support them. Otherwise ... not so much.” — Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg
Skipping a sporting event won’t change society
“It’s not at all clear, of course, how not playing sports contests will lead to racial justice, nor did the players present such a theory of change.” — Howard Husock, Washington Examiner
NFL players joining the protest would cause a seismic shift
“A player boycott of NFL games would be significantly more compelling than NBA players temporarily shutting down their playoffs, MLB players protesting by not playing, and the NHL postponing playoff games. More eyeballs are on the NFL, significantly more. It’s America’s Game.” — Bob Raissman, New York Daily News
Companies that do business with the NBA need to reconsider their role in social justice
“The players staged a wildcat strike demanding specific action on police brutality and racist practices, and brands that have long benefited from these athletes’ personalities and abilities will be forced to decide how far their support goes.” — Jeff Beer, Fast Company
Another police shooting could lead to a complete stoppage of U.S. sports
"Trust me on this: If another unarmed black man/woman is killed or shot by someone sworn to 'protect and serve' and NOTHING immediately happens in its aftermath before the finals or leading into the season opening, this will no longer be [a wildcat strike.] It will be 'Part 2' and permanent." — Sports journalist Robert "Scoop" Jackson to Salon
NBA players may inspire strikes by unions in industries outside of sports
“By exercising their power as workers, the players are inspiring an incredibly dormant part of the resistance to racism and Trumpism: the labor movement. If the NBA can shut down in protest of racist police violence, why not other industries? Why not cities? Why not entire sectors of the country’s economy?” — Dave Zirin, The Nation
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Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images
