Black athletes in US sports have refused to play as a sign of protest against racial injustice and police brutality, in a show of player power that threatens a shutdown of America’s multibillion-dollar sports industry.
The move was triggered when the Milwaukee Bucks pulled out a playoff match on Wednesday. The basketball team is based about 40 miles from Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a white police officer shot a black man in the back on Sunday, setting off days of unrest and protest.
The National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the Western and Southern Open Tennis tournament in New York subsequently announced the postponement of matches.
There is a long history of black US athletes, including boxer Muhammad Ali and baseball player Jackie Robinson, using their influence to take stands against racial inequality.