Of the major sporting leagues, Major League Baseball has been one of the least active in terms of social justice and advocacy for equality in recent decades. Just a few years ago, Bruce Maxwell, then with the Oakland Athletics, knelt during the national anthem and was pushed out of baseball. So, it is heartening to see the impact of the BLM movement, at least in terms of inspiring MLB players to demonstrate in ways that would have been far less likely in 2017 when Maxwell was left on his own to protest racial injustice. Players did everything from kneeling during the anthem in a strong show of solidarity & dedication to justice, to standing with their fists raised during the anthem, to kneeling or demonstrating before the anthem.
Teams also showed solidarity by placing BLM messages on scoreboards, bases, t-shirts, etc; and while these gestures from the individual franchises are good, what is even more important is substantive change by way of focusing on eradicating systemic racism in MLB. This includes more Black people in positions of leadership and authority in MLB and on teams in the same manner as white people in these positions (i.e. need not be a HOF player to be considered); better handling of racism at parks when fans return; & fostering an environment where racism is not tolerated in any form.
Article below by Chris Cwik at sportsyahoo.com.
Oakland Athletics outfielders Khris Davis and Tony Kemp joined the growing list of Major League Baseball players to show support for Black Lives Matter and other causes aiming to bring attention to racial and social injustices in our society.
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