Blue Jays: Joining the league in a display of solidarity

The Blue Jays joined the vast majority of the sports world by sitting out of their game on Thursday, taking a stand for social justice.

We’ve all seen the t-shirts being worn during batting practice, the banners placed around the ballparks, and the raw emotion seen on the faces of players who chose to take a knee during the national anthem on an opening day that was far from ordinary. They all convey a clear message, and one that can no longer be put on the back burner: Black Lives Matter.

As much as we love watching our boys in blue take the field every night, it has become clear that t-shirts and signs are simply not garnering the type of awareness and action that is needed at a time like this. The decision made by the Milwaukee Brewers to follow the example of the Bucks triggered a chain reaction within the sports world, with many players deciding the only way for their voices to be heard, was to stop providing the world with a distraction.

The Blue Jays played their scheduled game this past Wednesday night against the Red Sox as the game was nearly underway by the time both teams caught wind of the boycotts. Rowdy Tellez expressed his thoughts postgame about the Jays next steps: “It’s something that definitely is a very heavy point in all of the world right now so it’s something we need to discuss as a team moving forward”. That next step ultimately was the decision to cancel Thursday’s game in solidarity with the protests taking place across the league.

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Tellez, a close friend of former Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Alford, shared a thoughtful sentiment about his support for Alford and the Black Lives Matter movement. Rowdy acknowledged “I will never understand what it’s like to be an African American in the United States” and still his support for Alford never wavered: “I’d lay down my life for that man, and I support everything he does, I support everything that man is doing”.

The meeting held by the Jays actually resulted in the decision to play, which would have undoubtedly resulted in controversy had Boston not informed them that they would not be playing. In spite of that decision that quite frankly, would have been a mistake given the solidarity displayed by the league over the last few days, they fully supported Boston’s decision to boycott. Supporting the other team’s decision to not play may seem customary, but the fact that the Jays put out a joint statement with the Red Sox outlining the reasons they would not be playing is displaying some form of authentic support. The Diamondbacks put out a statement following the cancellation of their game with the Rockies that in no way showed support for their opponent’s decision, instead, they touted their own idea for how they planned on protesting which included wearing their black jerseys, a jersey they wear on a regular basis.

The Diamondbacks and their bizarre statement aside, the solidarity and sense of unity amongst teams and players across the league appear genuine. The Blue Jays, who have only one African American player on their roster, the recently acquired Tajuan Walker, are willing to stand up for what’s right. Walker has been an impassioned ally of the movement and to be traded in the midst of these boycotts, I would imagine it was reassuring to see his new team show support in the way they did.

Although the Jays team meeting ended with a general consensus that they would play if Boston would, they hopefully understand that at this point in time, baseball is not and cannot be the priority. And yet, some of the teams around the league still decided to play.

The Colorado Rockies were one of the teams that decided to play their game on Wednesday night, even with outfielder Matt Kemp making it clear he would not be taking the field. When asked about that decision, shortstop Trevor Story acknowledged it might have been a mistake: “we had a chance to stand up with our guy last night and we didn’t do it”. That’s what owning up to a mistake sounds like, a mistake they did not make twice, as they came to the decision that they would not play their Thursday night contest against the Dbacks.

The Jays have nobly followed suit. Even if the majority of the clubhouse wants to play, it’s not about them right now, and I think they understand that. This boycott only lasted one game, and we didn’t have to wait long to watch Blue Jays baseball again, but that one game will go down in history for all the right reasons. Most importantly, the Blue Jays and the league are doing something right now that should make our fanbase proud; they are taking a stand. It’s about presenting a united front as a league, as athletes and as human beings that are tired of having their message ignored. Period.