As the Milwaukee Bucks staged a walkout to protest Jacob Blake’s shooting, it was the clear-mindedness of their actions that could prove most important.
In the aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks taking a history-making stand in refusing to take to the court for Game 5 on Wednesday, and setting off a much larger chain of protests across the world of sports, much has been made about how their decision came about quite quickly and how it caught many off guard.
That fact makes it all the more incredible just how measured and purposeful the Bucks’ actions were in what was essentially the heat of the moment.
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When Milwaukee’s players decided to stay in their locker room, staging a walkout rather than simply carrying on with their business with slogans on their back and on the court, they created a powerful and symbolic moment.
That meant that for those tuned in to NBA TV nationally, or Fox Sports Wisconsin locally, or any of ESPN’s programming throughout the night, they were then met by thoughtful, truthful, and emotive discussion about why it had all come to this, and why the Bucks’ players had felt the need to act with such conviction, and so suddenly.
For the Bucks, with Jacob Blake’s shooting having taken place in their home state of Wisconsin, a desire to seize the initiative was understandable.
But the truth is that in recent weeks alone, the Bucks along with the rest of the NBA have been able to participate in countless moments and gestures to try to shine a spotlight on the ongoing fight for racial equality. And yet Blake’s shooting still occurred.
A walkout on its own would simply have been another gesture, albeit one of the boldest and noisiest tools at the disposal of the players. Perhaps its symbolism could have made a greater and longer lasting impact than previous gestures anyway, but it’s what else the Bucks managed to do in the moment that’s the real story to come from recent days.
After opting not to play, the Bucks didn’t immediately come out of their locker room, offer up spontaneous and uncoordinated quotes and then head back to their hotel. Instead, they spent three hours composing a team statement that they then presented as a united front. They spent time educating themselves on how they could create a call to action, and they actually got in touch with those with real power to actively pursue the first steps toward real change.
According to an ESPN report, the Bucks players spoke to co-owner Marc Lasry and senior vice president Alex Lasry about contacting state officials, which led to conversations with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
"“‘They just wanted to know what they could do,’ Barnes said. ‘I mean, they were very interested in a call to action. They wanted something tangible that they could do in the short and long term. They wanted the walkout to be Step 1.’Barnes told them they should ‘push for action at every level of government.’ They could pressure state lawmakers to vote on the police reform bill that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed two months ago, but has gone without response from the Republican-held state assembly.”"
That conversation with Barnes informed the Bucks’ statement, and led to George Hill reading the following:
"“We’re calling for justice for Jacob Blake, and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction, and take meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform.”"
The results from that call for action, and the subsequent public pressure on the Wisconsin State Legislature that the Bucks players will hope follow it, will take some time to come about. But it was by shining a spotlight on such a crucial issue, and offering the first steps to educating others on how the system can be better called upon to push through change, and create a better Wisconsin, that the Bucks truly left their mark.
"It is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform."
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 27, 2020
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, @Bucks. https://t.co/TvIiVsmuHX
The actions of Milwaukee’s players carried incredible symbolism and will be spoken about for many years to come, but most important was the fact they also came with substance and a clear path toward real change.
Only the most disingenuous of bad faith actors could accuse the Bucks of grandstanding or virtue signaling with their walkout, as the Bucks made sure to educate themselves, in turn educated countless others, and put meaningful pressure on those who can enact change to act immediately.
To have had the clarity of mind to do that in the moment, only made the protest by Milwaukee’s players all the more impressive and impactful. Beyond the obvious courage of their convictions required to act in the first place, Milwaukee’s players showed an intelligence and poise that was essential in this moment, and in the continued fight to come.