The NBA has managed to navigate the coronavirus, thanks to a hard bubble that has held up well in Orlando. This bubble, however, is about to burst.
If that happens, it won’t be due to COVID-19 but the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man, by Wisconsin police. Blake absorbed seven bullets in the back at close range, and he would be permanently crippled from the waist down.
In response to the shooting, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted tonight’s playoff game, Game 5, against the Orlando Magic.
“We are tired of the killings and the injustice,” Bucks goalie George Hill told ESPN.com’s Marc J. Spears. The undefeated. There is talk of other boycotts, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder are also reportedly intending to boycott. CNN reported that no NBA game will be played today.
We do not know what the consequences of a boycotted playoff game are. The Magic have reportedly refused to accept a forfeit in response to the Bucks’ decision not to play.
Meanwhile, Lakers star LeBron James tweeted this outspoken message to his 47 million followers: “FUCK THIS MAN !!!! WE CALL FOR CHANGE. SICK OF THIS. “
It feels like it’s only a matter of time before players start to leave the NBA bubble for good, ending the playoffs and likely ending. Which leads to this question: what will happen in the NFL?
On Tuesday, the Lions canceled training due to Jacob Blake’s shooting. While the NBA is potentially on the verge of seeing the complete collapse of its season in response to Jacob Blake’s shooting, it could very easily spread to other American sports.
Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle said last month, “Sport is like the reward of a functioning society.” Doolittle’s comments were made in reference to our national failure to bring the pandemic under control. Jacob Blake’s filming underscores the reality that our current dysfunction is not limited to the issue of public health.
UPDATE 5:15 p.m. ET: The NBA has announced that Wednesday’s three games, each Game Fives, have been postponed and that the games will be “postponed.” It is not known when the games will be played or if the players will be willing to play them anytime soon.
