Normally, I dedicate this space to sports, most likely, football. Whether the Raiders or the NFL as a whole, we delve into the game. Yet, as I sit here, nothing pressing football-wise seems to develop in my mind. The last four days took an unbelievably high toll on Americans, specific Black people, If race issue cloud your love of all things football, don’t worry, I’ll tangentially link the two during this article. It May take a while, but we’ll get there.
Trayvon Martin
Philando Castille
Freddie Gray
Oscar Grant
Location
I live in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. Known for bratwurst, cheese, and beer, Sheboygan is a regular Midwest town. For the purpose of this article, the location matters. I sit roughly two hours from Kenosha, WI. Kenosha sits on the way to Chicago. I’ve visited Kenosha many times in my sixteen years of residence here. While I may not know the city well, I am familiar with it.
George Floyd
Atatiana Jefferson
Botham Jean
Ahmaud Arbery
Backstory
Regardless of what you want to believe facts exist. On Sunday, Kenosha Police shot Jacob Blake multiple times in the back. Regardless of where you fall on the debate, you cannot dispute the video remains one of the most shocking, nightmare-inducing acts captured on video. In front of his children, Blake absorbed multiple gunshots. As a result, according to his father, paralysis set in. After the shooting, Blake underwent two different surgeries. Most of his colon and lower intestines are gone. Following the shooting, uprising struck Kenosha. The citizenry lashed out at this injustice. Following that, a 17-year-old crossed the border in Wisconsin. He shot and killed two people and wounded another. Now in custody, the attention surrounding the gunman sparked controversy. America is literally and figuratively burning to the ground.
Breeona Taylor
Sandra Bland
Alton Sterling
Dontre Hamilton
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Hurt
I am emotionally exhausted. Most people are. From the pandemic to dead bodies, this year continues to circle the drain in the worst ways. Each day brings a new headache and struggles to the forefront. Being Black in the United States of America is a straight-up hazard. There is no other way to state that. If you don’t agree, that is on you. The shooting of Jacob Blake serves as another brick in the hateful wall, constructed on the broken bodies and crushed souls of family members. Mothers losing their children, children losing their parents. I am simultaneously angry, motivated and saddened by the constant stream of senseless violence.
John Crawford
Ezell Ford
Dante Parker
Tanisha Anderson
Boycott and Reactions
The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game versus the Orlando Magic, shocking the sports world. Soon, after the Los Angeles Lakers followed suit. After, the players voted to halt the season. The Clippers and Lakers voted to stop the season immediately. Now, while this remains up in the air, what happens next? Would the NFL follow suit? I am guessing no. The NBA Players Union is an omnipotent machine, skillfully governed. The NFLPA remains a circus of disorganization.
Tamir Rice
Rumain Brisbon
Jerame Reid
Tony Robinson
The Future
Whether sports continues through the pandemic and declining social justice remains a mystery. Yet, all I know is that there are players, grieving, just as regular people are doing. It’s tough to watch endless videos of people that resemble me suffer.
Phillip White
Eric Harris
Walter Scott
Trayford Pellerin
David McAtee
Sean Reed
Ariane McCree
Terrance Franklin
William Green
Jamee Johnson
Michael Dean
Tony McDade
Finan Berhe
Darius Tarver
Kwame Jones
De’Von Bailey
In all honesty, the list goes on. I have neither emotional bandwidth nor composure to keep typing names of victims of police and racially motivated murder. As mentioned, sports are a part of life, but not the whole life. We need to fix this. This remains bigger than sports
