American sport grapples with racial tension
THE shootings of two black men by police in Tulsa and Charlotte reverberated in the US sports world on Wednesday as racial tensions flared around the United States.
Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, said that he would “absolutely” encourage his players to talk as a team about using their platforms to speak out against social injustice.
Kerr said he had already spoken to several of his players about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaep- ernick’s national anthem protest, in which Kaepernick has declined to stand for the Star Spangled Banner before NFL games.
Kaepernick’s actions have sparked outrage in some quarters, but Kerr said dialogue was important.
“No matter what side of the spectrum you’re on, I would hope every American is disgusted with what’s going on in the country, what just happened in Tulsa two days ago with Terence Crutcher,” Kerr said.
Crutcher was shot and killed by po- lice in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last Friday while Keith Lamont Scott was killed by authorities in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
While Kaepernick has been joined by some fellow NFL players in declining to stand for the anthem, others have demonstrated differently.
The Seattle Seahawks have stood with their arms interlocked for the pre-game anthem, but Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said Wednesday it was important to remember the anthem is not the issue.
At his weekly media availability on Wednesday, Sherman told reporters he wouldn’t take questions. Instead he spoke about the latest shootings and the need for change.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spoke more obliquely, saying he didn’t know enough about the specifics of the shootings to comment.
However, he said, police as well as ordinary citizens must be held accountable for their actions.
“My big thing is always holding people accountable,” Newton said. “