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.

AAPI athletes swept up in protests in professional sports over latest shootings

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Naomi Osaka decided to sit out the rest of a tennis tournament.

In an unprecedented historic action, America's professional athletes scored major points yesterday in protest of police actions in Kenosha, Wisconsin specifically, and the urgent need for police reform.

With the player-initiated cancellation of games in the National Basketball League and Major League Baseball, athletes let it be known collectively at that "enough is enough" after Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot in the back seven times last Sunday and a self-anointed white vigilante fatally shot two demonstrators and  allowed to walk away unimpeded by police.

UPDATE, Aug. 27, 10:30 a.m.: Players will resume playing Thursday in the NBA and MLB.

What sparked the game cancellations was when a 17-year old with a rifle fired at a crowd of demonstrators, killing two and wounding another on Tuesday. Kenosha police a block away allowed the teenager to walk away from the shooting, not detaining him or taking away his weapon even as witnesses shouted out that he was the shooteer. 

The teenager, identified as Kyle Rittenhouse, wasn't arrested until early Wednesday. He faces a first-degree intentional homicide charge in Kenosha County but is currently jailed in Lake County, Illinois, and has been charged there as a fugitive from justice. His extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday.

The concern of racial justice affected players of color in the white-dominated sports of tennis and hockey.

Although Naomi Osaka, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday, she decided to withdraw in a call for racial justice. 

“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport, I consider that a step in the right direction,” she wrote. “Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.

Although she had to declare herself as a citizen of Japan, she was raised in the U.S. and as the daughter of Japanese mother and Haitian father, was clearly troubled with the latest shootings and the state of race relations in the U.S. After her withdrawal, she drew quick support from other players. The tournament paused play for the rest of the day.

“As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States. The (U.S. Tennis Association), ATP Tour and WTA have decided to recognize this moment in time by pausing tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday, Aug. 27,” the three organizations said in a statement.

FACEBOOK / MATT DUMBA

Hockey player Matt Dumba regularly raises a fist during the playing of the national anthem.

The National Hockey League decided to play its games Wednesday, much to the consternation of the only Filipino American in the National Hockey League.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, a founding member of the player-based Hockey Diversity Alliance, was disappointed in the NHL for its lack of action on Wednesday when nearly all other professional sports league in the United States halted play in protest. 

“The NHL we’re always late to the party, especially on these topics, so it’s sorta sad and disheartening for me and other members of the HDA, and I’m sure other guys across the league,” Dumba told Sportsnet.

“But if no one stands up and does anything, it’s the same thing — it’s just that silence that you’re just outside looking in on actually being leaders and invoking real change when you have such an opportunity to do so.”

“I hope guys find it in them to stand up,” Dumba said. “You can’t keep coming to the minority players every time there’s a situation like this. The white players in our league need to have answers for what they’re seeing in society right now and where they stand in making a change.”

“What would really make the most impact is to have strong white leaders from teams step up and have their two cents heard,” Dumba said. “All the other white kids who grow up watching them, who might be their biggest fans, can look up and say, ‘Wow. If he’s seeing this, and understanding, and trying to listen, then why am I not as well, and why am I continuing to hold on to this ignorance or hate that I feel towards a subject that I maybe don’t know everything about?'”

Filipino Canadian brothers fighting racism in the streets and in the hockey rink

Matt Dumba spoke online from his home in Calgary.

Two Filipino Canadian brothers playing professional hockey are part of the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance, which has a mission "to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey."

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, was named to the group's executive committee along with Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley, Buffalo Sabres forward Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris Stewart and former NHL forward Joel Ward. The group appointed San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane and former NHL player Akim Aliu as co-heads of the organization.

"In creating our alliance, we are confident we can inspire a new generation of hockey players and fans," it said in a statement. "We are hopeful that anyone who puts on skates or sits in the stands will do so without worrying about race, gender or socioeconomic background (and) will be able to express their culture, identity, values and personality without fear of retribution."

The alliance's announcement comes in the wake of the killing of George Floyd–a 46-year-old black man who died in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer held his knee against Floyd's throat for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked a series of global protests against racism and for Black Lives Matter and touched Matt Dumba personally.

"I will be silent no more," said Matt Dumba.

Minnesota Wild player Matt Dumba is raising funds to help Minneapolis small businesses.

Matt Dumba tells NBC Asian America that he knows the challenges of growing up brown in a predominantly white sport.

Dumba said that he was usually the only person of color on his teams growing up in Calgary, Alberta, and that he often endured racism from other players.

"Up in Canada, people didn't really know what I was. You have to have a conversation and break through my family history and ethnicity. Little kids threw the bag at you when it came to racial slurs and stuff to get at you," Dumba continued. 

"But I took offense to almost everything that was said to me just because of my family background, how many different races are involved in that. Just wanted to stand up for my family. That was a little bit tough. But you work through it. I'm grateful that my love of the game was so strong and I just kept battling through a lot of that."

The alliance, which formed last Spring, will operate independently of the National Hockey League, but Kim Davis, the League's senior vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs, said she hopes the NHL and alliance can work together.

"We are supportive of all efforts that are intended to advance the role of our sport in society," Davis said. "We are hopeful that this alliance will collaborate with our NHL structured council and committees -- particularly the Player Inclusion Committee -- to bring ideas for change."

Matt Dumba, 25, has played for the Minnesota Wild for seven seasons. The team plays its  home games in St. Paul, the twin city of Minneapolis.
Dumba and his brother Kyle, who plays for the Surrey Eagles, are two of the handful of  Asian Canadians playing the country's national sport professionally. The brothers stayed in their hometown of Calgary during the lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

“Change isn't supposed to be comfortable," Dumba said in a video posted on his Twitter account Thursday afternoon. "I wish I could be back with you guys helping support the cause and cleaning up the aftermath. But I can't. And like some of you, I feel helpless. Being a professional athlete has given me a platform. And I have chosen to use it to amplify your voices and help the community. ... I love you Minnesota, let's come back from this stronger than ever."

KYLE DUMBA

Moving from words to action, the brothers helped launched another initiative to help Minnesota rebuild and repair Lake Street where many of the protests damaged local businesses.

Last month, Matt Dumba partnered with the Lake Street Council to make sure small businesses and non-profits in the Minneapolis get the help they need. He also pledged to match donations up to $100,000.

Last week, the effort received a $100,000 donation from the NHL and Wild, with each contributing $50,000 to the cause.

"As brilliant as he is on the ice, Matt's devotion to the game and his community off the ice are truly outstanding," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "The NHL is honored to join the Minnesota Wild in supporting Matt's initiative to Rebuild Lake Street and we admire his dedication to the great fans of the Wild and to everyone who lives and works in the Twin Cities."