Don't blame NBA and MLB players for taking a stance. Blame the police officer who shot a black man in the back seven times.
Salute the Lions for canceling practice Tuesday and talking about it, too. It sparked change.
We should listen.
We've seen the video of Jacob Blake being shot Sunday in Kenosha before, just in different places and sometimes other forms.
There was Eric Garner choked in Staten Island, and George Floyd suffocated under a knee in Minneapolis. We've seen countless videos along the same lines for years now.
Athletes are taking a stand.
They aren't looting. They aren't rioting.
They are protesting - peacefully and powerfully by using their vast platform. It's their right not to play.
It isn't to promote their brand, but rather justice. They are being selfless, not selfish.
There is risk involved for them, not greed. Not everybody is going to agree. Revenue could fall. Professional sports were already on a slippery slope economically because of the pandemic.
There isn't anything for these athletes to gain financially, only to lose.
There is an obvious need for law enforcement and justice reform as it pertains to minorities. Laws need to be enforced, but the authority given police officers isn't of judge, jury and executioner.
Those who overstep their authority need to be held accountable. Far too often that hasn't been the case.
And law enforcement training needs to be much more comprehensive across the nation. Reform is long overdue.
It's not a political issue, but an equal justice matter.
It's not like it hasn't been noted.
It's often been an overriding theme in this country - even in the midst of the pandemic - since Floyd's shocking death in May.
Evidently the message didn't get to an officer in Kenosha. It won't until the issue is sincerely addressed, which it hasn't been even remotely.
I have heard it a thousand times: "Sports is my escape."
Yet, there is none from this stark reality.
Don't be upset with these athletes.
They are only delivering a message we should have received long ago.
