Good morning and welcome to The Huddle for today, August 27, 2020. It’s Thursday, and it’ll take you under 90-seconds to get plugged in.

This Morning’s Sports Headline:

Sports come to a halt: NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS postpone games as players protest Jacob Blake shooting

It was historic: last night players in four major sports stopped playing to call attention to ongoing racial injustice, specifically the shooting of a Wisconsin Black man by white police. And the questions this morning are, what impact will these players have, and will they go back to work today?

“The cancellations underscored an emerging new reality in big-time sports in which athletes are increasingly emboldened to express themselves on racial injustice and other social issues and leagues are finding ways to accommodate their views,” according to the Washington Post, which reports the NBA has a Board of Governors meeting scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT this morning to determine its next steps and attempt to salvage the playoffs.

The Athletic had this scoop following last night’s all-players meeting in the bubble:

Coaches were permitted to attend part of the meeting last night. We’ll keep you posted.

I wrote about the intersectionality of Doc Rivers, coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. His words Tuesday night in reaction to the Jacob Blake shooting were not his first foray into social justice off the hardwood. Read what he said in support of gay athletes eight years ago.

One question: where is the NHL in all of this? Scroll down to Social Media Highlights.

Also this morning…

All this week, Outsports is sharing stories of transgender women who are rugby athletes in stories, podcast episodes and on our social media platforms. Outsports supports International Gay Rugby’s rejection of a proposal to ban non-binary and transgender women athletes from competing in women’s rugby competitions.

Today, I’ll bring you the story of Verity Smith, a trans man and former rugby player in the UK who spoke before the World Rugby panel in February in support of trans women athletes.

Our Shelby Weldon has the story of an out lesbian skateboarder ready to roll to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. “I am openly lesbian and I 100% support all initiatives aiming for equality for all. I see my role in this community as being a positive role model,” says Annie Guglia.

OutShouts:

Kudos to Evander Kane for saying what needed to be said: the NHL was silent amid calls for action.

Highlights from Social Media:

What did the NHL tweet about on Wednesday? Game highlights, of course, and this:

LGBTQ ally and Black Lives Matter supporter Kurtis Gabriel shared this with his followers:

Out sportswriter Steve Buckley addressed the issue for The Athletic:

The NWHLPA’s Anya Packer gets to the point:

Trans athlete Chris Mosier reminds us, it’s not a boycott.

Sports journalist Holly Rowe showed how WNBA players responded, with a candlelight vigil:

Here’s how the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA addressed the issue on Twitter:

And amid all this, the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers announced they are taking action in an alliance with the NFL Cleveland Browns and MLB Cleveland Indians:

Podcast Du Jour

Nearly every day of the week, Outsports has a new podcast for your enjoyment. Today, it’s LGBT In The Ring. This week, Brian Bell welcomes his partner, KC, back to the show to discuss last weekend’s Black Wrestlers Matter event and the importance of its message.

All our podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and on every platform where you find Outsports!

Today’s Sports Calendar

Who knows? I’m sure the MLB, MLS and tennis matches will go on, and no doubt the NHL will be back on the ice tonight. But for now, I’m leaving this section of The Huddle blank in support of players who have left the court to send a message. Black Lives Matter.

Share your thoughts in the comments below or email us at [email protected]

Thanks for reading all the way to the end. The next edition of The Huddle will appear tomorrow morning on Outsports.com Stay safe!

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