MLB
MLB players "will have the option to wear patches for social justice causes on their uniforms" for Opening Day today, and they also will be able to "wear a 'Black Lives Matter' t-shirt and wristbands featuring an inverted MLB logo with a black player silhouette," according to Mike Oz of YAHOO SPORTS. Teams will be able to "stencil 'BLM' or 'United for Change' on the back of their pitching mounds." ESPN's Howard Bryant reported that the players' patch options "include 'BLM' and 'United for Change." The push for this initiative is coming from Phillies LF Andrew McCutchen and former MLBer Curtis Granderson. MLB has "never been the place for athlete activism relative to other sports," but that "seems to be changing ahead of its shortened 2020 season" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/22). The AP's Ronald Blum notes MLB also is "lifting cleat restrictions for this season, giving players the ability to put messages for social justice and causes on their spikes." Jersey patches "would go on the left sleeve unless a team has an existing patch there, in which case the new one would go on the right sleeve." These efforts were "designed to allow players to show support for social justice generally, and diversity and inclusion in baseball." They were "deliberately made flexible, allowing players to make individual decisions" (AP, 7/23).
NEW NORMAL: In DC, Adam Zielonka writes fans should expect protests and social justice messages before and during games "to be the norm, not the exception." Baseball players traditionally haven't been leaders in that arena compared with football and basketball players, but a "growing number have taken on social justice issues and spoken out against racism this summer" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/23). Yankees Senior VP & GM Brian Cashman yesterday said that he "supports the right of players to express themselves in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement." Cashman said that he "would support any Yankee who decided to kneel" (ESPN.com. 7/22). Yankees P Gerrit Cole said that the team was "going to meet [last] night about whether players would wear a patch or protest in some other way on Opening Day." Nationals P Sean Doolittle said of kneeling, "As a team, we're having conversations in our clubhouse the last two days. I know the Yankees are doing the same thing. We're obviously going first, we're opening this thing up, so I think it's really important for us as a league to echo what other sports leagues have done so far" (N.Y. POST, 7/23).
MAKING A GAME PLAN: In Chicago, Mark Gonzales notes Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and his players "plan to make a collective statement [tomorrow] night before the season opener" against the Brewers at Wrigley Field. Cubs manager David Ross said, "We've got a plan in place for opening day that these guys are unified with" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/23). In St. Louis, Derrick Goold notes Cardinals P Jack Flaherty and CF Dexter Fowler have been "'leaders' in the conversation," helping the club "coordinate what they say will be a 'unified' statement delivered [tomorrow], before or during opening night against Pittsburgh." Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said, "We'll do it in a unified manner that will really follow what the Players Alliance has suggested strongly. We support that. We believe in that as a group. We'll participate in what that looks like on opening day on Friday" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/23). Twins P Jose Berrios said that the club "continues to discuss a possible response" to the social justice movement. Berrios said that whatever the Twins decide to do tomorrow, it "should be done in unison" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/23).
The billboard near Fenway Park is operated by the Red Sox FoundationGETTY IMAGES
SHOWING SUPPORT: Red Sox VP/Corporate Communications Zineb Curran said that the phrase "Black Lives Matter" was emblazoned yesterday across the large billboard that faces the Massachusetts Turnpike near Fenway Park, as the club continues to "affirm that they 'stand with those' fighting for racial equality." Curran in her statement said, "Recognizing that we have work to do ourselves, we wanted to show that we stand with those who are working to achieve racial equity." Curran said the billboard "is operated by the Red Sox Foundation and one of the ways we plan to amplify the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the baseball season" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/23).
