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After the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks players protested their playoff game earlier today, the ripples of protest have been felt in the sports world.
Joining the multitudes of sports teams taking a stand tonight are Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Football Club, who were scheduled to play at Rio Tinto Stadium in front of an estimated 5,000 fans.
Solidarity. pic.twitter.com/z1AHnrST5o
— Josh Clark (@SLTID_Josh) August 27, 2020
It appears players from both teams took the field in street clothes about an hour before planned kickoff.
RSL and LAFC on the field. Good on em, this game isn’t happening pic.twitter.com/dz8414kt74
— Josh Clark (@SLTID_Josh) August 27, 2020
The first player to confirm the move was LAFC’s Mark-Anthony Kaye.
We not playing tonight. #EnoughIsEnough
— Mark-Anthony Kaye (@MarkThEwizz) August 27, 2020
The immediate cause of the protest sweeping the nation is the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but the issues go much deeper. (A previous version of this story misidentified Jacob Blake as a teenager. He is 29 years old.)
RSL Soapbox stands with the players in protest. We unequivocally hold that Black lives matter.