Sports Reporters Can No Longer ‘Stick To Sports’ When NFL, ESPN, UFC Refer To Horrifying George Floyd Death That Has Rocked This Country and Spotlighted Racism
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The party is over for the “Stick to Sports” folks, who want sports reporters to only cover scores of games but not the numbers of black men and women coping with racial inequality and suffering tragic deaths in the U.S.
That’s not my opinion.
That’s based on weekend statements and images by NFL, ESPN, UFC and even UFC President Dana White, who all included references to the disturbing and horrifying death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to asphyxiate the 46-year-old handcuffed Floyd who was arrested and accused of using a phony $20 bill at a Minneapolis neighborhood market May 25.
Yes, the National Football League — an image-conscious sports league generating about $15 billion a year — sent out a press release Saturday that includes the Floyd death and stated, “There remains an urgent need for action. . . We . . . are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues .”
What’s especially relevant is that the release went beyond Floyd, referencing the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Lousiville and Ahmaud Arbery, the cousing of NFL player Tracy Walker of the Detroit Lions. Here’s the complete NFL statement:
“The NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country. The protesters’ reactions to these incidents reflect the pain, anger and frustration that so many of us feel.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd and to those who have lost loved ones, including the families of Ms. Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, the cousin of Tracy Walker of the Detroit Lions.
“As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league. These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts. There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society. We embrace that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and partners.”
That’s not a sports writer posting a tweet about the tragic deaths of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery. That’s the NFL sending an email to media members who cover the league.
It’s also difficult to overlook the straight line that connects former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who brought attention to his concerns about racial inequality, systematic racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem before games, and the death of Floyd, who died under the knee of a Minneapolis officer while three other police officers looked on. A quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013, Kaepernick played his last game for the 49ers in 2016. Sadly, so many sports fans got caught up with Kaepernick’s method of protest rather than understanding his message of racism tainting this country.
Kaepernick’s kneeling — vilified by everyone from NFL fans to President Donald Trump — has now been adopted by many peaceful protesters and even police officers during demonstrations across the land. In fact, the Minneapolis police chief also took a knee Kaepernick-style in solidarity with protesters over the weekend.
Check out Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis weighing in, describing it as, “the Murder of George Floyd”:
The Vegas Golden Knights did not mention Floyd by name. But the NHL team did release this statement:
And UNLV Athletics, which mentioned Floyd’s death in its first sentence. “We are horrified and saddened with the recent killings of African Americans.”
The NFL was joined by ESPN, UFC and even White — UFC’s blunt-talking president — in remembering Floyd during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex building in Las Vegas.
Between Saturday’s UFC preliminary fights and the main card, ESPN posted this graphic during its UFC broadcast.
During a media conference after the fight night, White said the ESPN graphic during the UFC broadcast was the right thing to do. By the way, White is a good friend of President Trump, who also spoke out about Floyd’s videotaped death under the knee of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Four days after the Memorial Day death of Floyd, Chauvin, an 18-year Minneapolis officer, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd’s “I can’t breathe” gasping cry has become a haunting phrase on signs in protests across the United States in dozens of cities. Protesters want the other three police officers charged and police reform.
Trump spoke nationally again Monday, saying he was “sickened and revolted by the brutal death of George Floyd.” He noted, “Justice will be served. He will not have died in vain.”
If you’re a sports reporter, how can you not document responses by professional athletes like New York Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso (a former Las Vegas 51s player). On his polarpete20 Instagram account, Alonso posted:
“For the past couple of days, I’ve struggled to wrap my mind around what’s happening. I have a voice and I will not remain silent. My heart has been broken over the murder of George Floyd. I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of the color of my skin. To anyone who faces this type of discrimination, I will fight for you and be an ally. I will always stand with you. There needs to be justice and change made for the better of humanity. Let words be our sword and unity be our armor. Take care of each other.”
Even the NHL coaches spoke out about “systemic racism” in this statement:
Las Vegas-based sports reporter Jesse Granger, who reports on the Vegas Golden Knights for The Athletic, posted a tweet over the weekend that said he was receiving “quite a few ‘stay out of politics’ replies. Here’s his “This is about humanity” post:
And even Las Vegas-based boxer Floyd Mayweather is getting involved. Mayweather will be paying for Floyd’s funeral services, according to an ESPN report. “He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is definitely paying for the funeral,” Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, told ESPN.
The Floyd death was so disturbing that it has triggered unrest across the country, forcing the United States to take a hard look at race relations. The image is gruesome: an officer captured on a bystander’s video casually pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on Floyd’s neck with a hand in his pocket, as the man in custody cried out, “Mama!”
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