ESPN Columnist Howard Bryant Discusses Athlete Strikes

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Let’s just take what happened when they decided to walk out and then triggered essential a flood of other sports people doing the same. What were your thoughts when that happened?

HOWARD BRYANT, ESPN COLUMNIST: Well, I think my initial thought was it took me back to 2014 when we were in almost the exact same position with the Donald Sterling scandal when the Los Angeles Clipper had said they were thinking about boycotting the playoffs then, but (INAUDIBLE) has prevailed and there was diplomacy between Adam Silver, the new commissioner who had been on the job three weeks, and the players decided to protest, but they decided to not quit playing. Then the same thing happened earlier this year after the death of George Floyd, where there was a faction of players who had said maybe basketball irrelevant right now, maybe this is not quite the time to go out and entertain the publica, and yet, the public and that the players still went out to play. But yesterday was different. This was the moment where the players had decided that it was disadvantageous for them to go out and entertain the public when something like this continues to go on. It was a remarkable moment.

AMANPOUR: Indeed. And I mean, it really electrified America precisely because of what sports means to America. And of course, so many of these sports are successful because of their black players, whether it’s the WNBA, we’ve seen Naomi Osaka did it, and orders followed. Why do you think, and can you tell us exactly what’s going on now? Why do you think the NBA decided to go back?

BRYANT: Well, I think that at the end of the day they’re professionals and think this is their livelihood, this is what they do and I think they have a professional responsibility to each other and also to the people who pay them and also to the fans who watch them. I think at the end of the day, the level of professionalism that you see with these athletes is extremely high. I think you also see, however, the levels of pain that they’re feeling and the fact it wasn’t just one moment. It was a coordinated effort from the NBA to the WNBA and then even baseball at 7.7 percent African-American that baseball teams walked out as well. You had three teams — or three games were canceled there as well. I think that what they recognize is, is that they made a statement, they wanted that statement to be heard, they wanted it to be felt, and then I think they are perfectly willing to work within the system. But let’s also not forget, Christiane, that there was a faction of players that really did not want to play earlier. So, I think that this is — it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens when football starts up. And I don’t think this is the last we have seen of this sort of wildcat approach to protest.