While the NBA and a handful of MLB teams postponed their games Wednesday in response to Jacob Blake’s senseless shooting in Kenosha earlier this week, the NHL played on. After absorbing criticism from those who felt the NHL should have been more proactive in its stances against racial inequality and continued police brutality toward African Americans, commissioner Gary Bettman, in conjunction with the players association, finally heeded the call to action by scrapping the league’s planned Thursday and Friday slates.
NBC analyst Anson Carter, who offers a unique perspective as one of the few black voices in a predominantly white sport, commended the league for acknowledging the Wisconsin tragedy, albeit belatedly, with Thursday and Friday’s postponements. However, the former Bruins, Rangers and Capitals forward wants more from the league and its players, imploring the NHL to make better use of its platform, seeking real, tangible change instead of merely talking about it.
“There’s a bigger conversation to be had and I think that’s what’s getting away from us right now. People are missing that point,” said Carter, who suggested the NHL use its arenas for election polling this fall, particularly in southern states where voter suppression is most prevalent. “I’m sick and tired of performative activism. What are we actually going to do? What are we going to do to really have change happen?”
Carter’s candor falls in line with remarks made by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who challenged his NBA colleagues to do more than simply boycott games. Brown, who serves as vice president of the NBA Players Association, put his words into action months earlier when he made the 15-hour trek from Boston to his native Atlanta to lead a peaceful protest on the heels of George Floyd’s unconscionable death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“I’m glad there’s no hockey tonight because I’m tired. I’m exhausted,” said the Toronto native of Thursday night’s reprieve, echoing a recent sentiment shared by TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who called being black in America “exhausting.” “If we had a game tonight, there’s no way I think I could function with the way the last 24 hours [have gone].”
After pausing play for two days, what will the NHL’s next steps be? That’s what Carter wants to know. “You could have all the hashtags you want. You could have all the social media comments you want. I marched with my family in Atlanta. But these shootings are still occurring. And that’s just not acceptable.”
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram