Black Lives Matter Protests Impact on Sports

Nobody wants racism and what happened to George Floyd who died at the hands of members of the police force in Minneapolis is something that can divide a country and that exactly what is happening to the United States that is already divided by several political issues. And while the world is still dealing with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and then they George Floyd incident happened. 

One industry that has been impacted and divided by the said protests is the sports industry. For starters, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets expressed his concerns about the resumption plan of the National Basketball Association (NBA) which includes the rising cases of COVID-19 in Florida where the NBA aims to complete the 2019-2020 season. More importantly, Kyrie Irving along with other players are questioning "whether basketball is needed at this point". Dwight Howard of the Western Conference-Los Angeles Lakers has said that he's supporting Irving's concerns even adding that "This is where unity starts. At home". While most of the players are concerned about the possibility of players getting hit by the virus, they are all in unison against racial discrimination. On the other side of the fence, LeBron James who is currently the league's leader in assists, has a different take on the protests as well as the resumption of the league. For "The King", resuming the NBA will allow players to get paid and with that money, they can help the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement. James also added that he loves Kyrie Irving's passion for the movement but insisted that "It should be in the right way and not at the cost of the whole NBA and the players' careers" And that's just the NBA.

In the Pan American Games last year, two athletes- one who raised her first while the national anthem was being played while the other one knelt down on the podium also while the national anthem was playing, were placed under 12-month probation by top US Olympic officials. Furthermore, sports officials in the US issued a warning for athletes especially those who are set to play in next year's Tokyo Olympics with regards to making any political gestures, especially whenever the "Star-Spangled Banner" is playing. While this development may be a minor case, it's still proof that standing up for a movement can cause one his sports career and this isn't the first time it happened in the history of sports in the United States. Also, athletes who are joining the cause, are the ones who are getting the ire of US President Donald Trump who even tweeted that some leagues are losing money because their athletes are protesting. While the latter is not true especially when you look at the National Football League (NFL), athletes who are actively voicing out their support for a cause is an easy target which could lead to consequences. 

And while even the experts are divided about the connection of these protests with the downfall of sports viewership, the numbers are speaking otherwise. In 2017, it has been reported that in the first three weeks of that year's NFL season, only 15.65 million viewers had watched NFL games in that span and that's a drop from the number of viewers in the same span in 2016 which hit 17.63 million. And that was the time when President Trump called on NFL team owners to fire players who participate in sideline protests. The question of whether or not protesting athletes turn off fans is another good question for another time.

Everyone is free to air his/her opinions and whether you like it or not, it's easier to do so when you are a famous athlete because being one gives you celebrity status. Then again, it does not always end well especially for one's sports career. Not to mention the huge division that the ongoing protests have created. 

Photo is from the Los Angeles Times