Just hours after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers will now not play their game on Wednesday night.
The Brewers were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at Miller Park against the Cincinnati Reds. However, after seeing the Bucks’ players take the unprecedented step by boycotting their game, the Brewers will now follow suit.
According to The Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond, Milwaukee’s players met in the clubhouse before the game and decided not to take the field. Out of respect to their decision, the Reds agreed not to play instead of accepting a forfeit.
The decision comes just days after police officers in Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back. Following months of protests and calls for social justice reform across the country, sparked by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers, anger is once again at an all-time high.
NBA stars, including Los Angeles Lakers guard LeBron James, expressed their outrage at the recent shooting and demanded social justice. The NBA responded, postponing Wednesday’s three playoff games with the rest of the NBA Playoffs now uncertain.
For years, Major League Baseball has been relatively quiet when it comes to speaking out on social justice and police brutality in the United States. With support now growing for these causes across the country, MLB’s tone is also shifting.
The latest shooting hits close to home for the Brewers, given it occurred in their state. However, with these instances far too common across the country, it wouldn’t be a surprise if other MLB teams followed by not taking the field.