(670 The Score) After the Cubs’ 7-6 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday evening, the discussion wasn’t about the result.
It was about police brutality and racial injustice across America in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday. Those issues left Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo heartbroken and angry on a day in which a wave of teams across various sports boycotted their games in protest. Rizzo spoke in the context of being a graduate of Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which experienced the tragedy of a mass shooting in 2018.
“S*** doesn’t change,” Rizzo said, according to Sports Illustrated. “And it’s just the fact of the matter. Politicians don’t really give a f*** about us. All they care about is their own agenda. This is just the way it is, and it’s upsetting. I’m sorry to use that language and go off. It’s upsetting.”
Rizzo saw how the events of the past few days affected Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, who’s as respected as they come in the team’s clubhouse. Heyward, an African-American, was a healthy scratch from the team’s lineup Wednesday, choosing to sit out after a meeting with manager David Ross.
Heyward explained his decision to his teammates, who fully supported him, he said. The Cubs discussed as a team whether they should play Wednesday and decided to do so after Heyward encouraged his teammates to do so.
The Reds-Brewers, Mariners-Padres and Dodgers-Giants games were postponed Wednesday as players chose to protest against racial injustice. The NBA postponed three playoff games after the Bucks refused to take the floor in protest of Blake being shot and racial inequality.
“I knew what I was feeling tonight, and I need to be a part of what was going on,” Heyward said. “I say that because we made these statements together as a players’ alliance, as players in MLB, it’s time for us to stand up and be part of the cause and not just sweep it under the rug. If we just went out there and played tonight and ignored what the NBA was doing and ignored what was happening right now, then I feel like that would be going back on our word.
“So I decided to let my teammates know that I couldn’t go out there and play tonight, not with what’s happening.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen the next day. But tonight, I needed to be a part of what was going on. I had full support from them, teammates, coaching staff, everyone. I encouraged them to go out there and play the game tonight. I didn’t want anyone to sit here and say, ‘No, we don’t need to play the game.’ I can only tell them what I was going to do.”
Rizzo offered Heyward his support and also further explained the Cubs’ decision to play.
“Just seeing the pain, man, it’s so real,” Rizzo said, according to NBC Sports Chicago. “It’s tough. It felt kind of weird. But J-Hey wanted us to play. He was encouraging us to play. So we went out there and played a baseball game.”