Pro-sports returning as athletes score a strong point for racial justice

Before deciding to postpone the playoffs, the NHL sported this message with a moment of silence.

After minority players sent a letter to the National Hockey League, the league postponed the Stanley Cup playoff games Thursday and also tonight (Aug. 28).

The NHL joined other professional sports leagues in protesting social injustices that are happening in the country. The Stanley Cup playoffs will resume Saturday.

The NHL decision came after it received a letter from the Hockey Diversity Alliance, composed of hockey players of color. The HDA tweeted:

“We the @TheOfficialHDA have formally requested the @NHL to suspend all playoff games today. We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports.”

"This must be clear! This is not a league mandated action this has been solely driven by its PLAYERS and damn I’m proud to stand with them!" said Matt Dumba, the sole Filipino Canadian playing in the NHL and co-founder of the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

“It makes me so proud to be an NHL player and see that this is player-driven action,” tweeted Dumba, a wingman for the Minnesota Wild, which are in the playoffs.

The action involves all eight remaining teams — scheduled for Thursday and Friday night. At deadline, no announcement was made i how and when the games will be made up.

Founded in June of 2020, the Hockey Diversity Alliance seeks to “eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.” It aims to not only improve race relations in hockey now, but clean up the sport for future generations to ensure the sport is more accessible and inclusive to everyone.

RELATED: Brooklyn Nets owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai pledge $50-million to a social justice fund.

The protest by professional athletes began when the Minnesota Timberwolves said they would not play in a Wednesday night playoff game against the Orlando Magic. That sparked a players meeting in the NBA's "bubble" in Orlando, Fla. where teams have been isolated to play out a semblance of a season. The athletes decided to not play. Since then, the players negotiated with the league to resume the playoff schedule beginning Saturday.

The Women's National Basketball League followed suit in suspending play.

The NBA action spurred players in other sports to similar action. Most scheduled games in Major League Baseball were not played Wednesday and some teams continued the strike Thursday. By Friday, all MLB games had resumed.

Naomi Osaka, who made the semifinals in the Western & Southern Open, withdrew from the tournament Wednesday will be returning to the court Friday. 

“Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.” said Osaka, whose father is from Haiti.

Naomi Osaka sat out Thursday in her tournament but is returning to the court Friday.

In response, tournament suspended all matches on Thursday and released this statement: “As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust into the forefront in the United States.” Play is resuming on Friday.

By Thursday afternoon, Osaka told The Guardian, "I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. 

"However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement. I want to thank the WTA and the Tournament for their support."

The demonstrations by the athletes, while it might not have accomplished much in terms of lasting reform, used their popular platforms to bring attention to the racial injustice and need for police reform in the U.S. after police in Kenosha, Wis. shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back seven times as he was getting into his car. Blake is recovering but is paralyzed, said his father.

The Kenosha incident was the latest in a long list of examples of police using excessive force against Blacks, in particular. 

The straw that broke the camel's back for many athletes of color occurred Tuesday evening when a white teenager shot and killed two demonstrators, then proceeded to walk through police lines, who allowed him to walk away from the scene without incident. Hours later, 17-year old Kyle Riddenhouse was arrested and charged with first-degree homicide.

The forceful treatment of Blacks by police, exemplified by the videotaped killing George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, gave impetus to a -- thus-far -- summer-long series of demonstrations across the country against the excessive response of police and a call for reform.