Following the lead of the NBA, Naomi Osaka announced that she will boycott her semifinal match in New York City on Thursday.
“Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman,” she wrote in a social media post. “As a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis. 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.”
The protests from professional athletes began rolling in after Game 5 of Milwaukee Bucks-Orlando Magic first-round playoff series was delayed then eventually postponed.
Naomi Osaka said the police shootings are making her “sick to her stomach” and she urged for a change. “Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach. I’m exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again. When will it ever be enough? #JacobBlake, #BreonnaTaylor, #ElijahMcclain, #GeorgeFloyd”
Do you think these boycotts would inspire the NFL to follow suit?
