When the jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts for killing George Floyd, the reactions were swift.
Most celebrated, cheering a verdict that was anxiously awaited. Some exhaled and succumbed to their emotions. Others took to social media to sprout their ignorant, racist venom. Yet no matter the words of the trolls, the day would not be tarnished for everyone who waited so long for the legal system to finally punish law enforcement.
In the world of sports, the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. But some were woefully frustrating, limited, and embarrassing. None more so than the tweet by the Las Vegas Raiders.
As soon as it went up, the Twitter responses came flooding in, telling the team to take the tweet down.
While some tried to point out that the statement was meant to be a tribute, the more understanding voices shut them down. They pointed out how bad it was, using images of NYPD supporters wearing shirts stating “I can breathe”, which was a direct mockery of a choking Eric Garner, who slowly died at the hands of a NY police officer who was choking him out for selling cigarettes.
After people condemned the Raiders’ actions, team owner Mark Davis stated that it was his idea and that he didn’t mean any harm by it. Instead, it was meant as a nod to Floyd’s brother Philonise, who stated following Tuesday’s verdict, “Today, we are able to breathe again.”
“I felt that was a powerful statement,” said Davis. “Today was a day where I can breathe, and we can all breathe again because justice was served. But we have a lot of work to do still on social justice and police brutality.”
Per ESPN, Davis told the network that he “meant no disrespect” to the Floyd family. Yet despite the backlash, he refused to take the tweet down.
Over in hockey, the NHL tweeted out their own generic statement which essentially said nothing impactful.
“While we hope the end of the trial offers a chance for healing, we remain committed to actively engaging in the movement for equality and we invite our fans to join us in supporting systemic change.” read the tweet.
No mention of George Floyd being murdered or the verdict. Just one plain sentence meant to not say anything meaningful.
The Minnesota Wild followed suit despite being in the city where Floyd was murdered.
MLB was more of the same.
At least the NFL mentioned George Floyd’s name
Some NFL teams were more detailed in their statements, especially those by Washington and the LA Rams.
Unfortunately, not all teams issued statements. And the NFL and the 49ers, who both stated their feelings on Twitter, were roasted by fans for what was done to Colin Kaepernick. Kap was blackballed for taking a knee against the very thing that pro football teams issued statements about on Tuesday, so the irony is infuriating.
In contrast, basketball pulled no punches. Between the NBA, the WNBA, their teams, and players, Tuesday’s verdict was thoroughly and properly addressed.
Other athletes and teams let their feelings be known as well.
It’s interesting to see who gets it and who doesn’t in sports. And this case and verdict demonstrated which organizations, teams, and players fell into each category.
Tuesday was one moment and one step in the right direction. There’s still more work to be done, but for one day the people rightfully held the system accountable.
