Rockies outfielder Matt Kemp followed in the footsteps of the NBA players by deciding to sit out Wednesday night’s scheduled game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Earlier in the day, the NBA announced all its games were postponed due to player protest, after the Milwaukee Bucks opted to not play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic .
Kemp has been outspoken this season in his views on racial injustice. Newly acquired by the Rockies in 2020, he’s been one of the MLB players who have knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice in America.
Kemp made his announcement in a post on social media announcing his decision to not play.
Tonight I stand with my fellow professional athletes in protest of the injustices my people continue to suffer. I could not play this game I love so much tonight knowing the hurt and anguish my people continue to… https://t.co/nxUt02S64v
— Matt Kemp (@TheRealMattKemp) August 26, 2020
Here is Kemp’s full statement:
“Tonight I stand with my fellow professional athletes in protest of the injustices my people continue to suffer. I could not play this game I love so much tonight knowing the hurt and anguish my people continue to feel. In a world where we are the ones who need to remain calm while a trained professional points a gun in our face; a world where the people in uniforms who took an oath to protect us are the same ones killing us; a world where we become hashtags before we even reach our potential; we must stand together, speak out, protest, and be the change we demand, require, and need so bad. To the families who have experienced these tragedies first hand my heart breaks for you, my prayers are with you and I use my platform to speak on your behalf. I will be protesting tonight’s game in honor of all of my fallen brothers and sisters at the hands of police brutality. #BLM #JacobBlake #BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd #Saytheirnames”
The Rockies are among many Major League Baseball teams discussing the possibility of not playing their game Wednesday night in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
Colorado shortstop Trevor Story and left-handed starter Kyle Freeland said the Rockies were going to meet as a group to talk about sitting out the game against the Diamondbacks. Freeland indicated that it would likely be a joint decision between Rockies and Diamondbacks players.
Freeland, a graduate of Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School, frequently wears a “Blacks Lives Matter” T-shirt when he speaks to the media via Zoom. He did so again Wednesday when he talked about social injustice issues.
“I’ve seen it growing up (as) a Denver Public School kid,” Freeland said. “I’ve got a ton of black friends and still keep in contact with a lot of them.
“But this issue, especially in this past year with everything that’s going on, it is really taking this whole conversation and actions to a whole other level. And I’m happy to see this communication that we’re having, within our community of athletes and in the entire United States. We need to continue to press forward with this issue and get things corrected in our country.”
The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds opted to not play their game Wednesday night at Miller Park in protest.
“Our team and the Reds felt that with our community and our nation in such pain, tonight we wanted 100% of the focus to be on issues that are much more important than baseball,” Brewers reliever and union representative Brent Suter said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Seattle Mariners also will not play tonight’s game against the San Diego Padres after Mariners players agreed to postpone it.
This story will be updated
