BLM: A Culture Shift Beyond Sports
Welcome back! If you are new to this blog, my name is Christian Wilson and I am a student athlete at Longwood University. Throughout this blog, I have been giving exclusive information and insights on the return of sports during the Covid-19 pandemic. I've also been providing a quick update about my team and our experiences on campus during summer workouts. Everything is still going smoothly here in VA; we are working hard, building a lot of team chemistry and staying safe in the process.
Approaching the end of this four-part series, today’s blog will take a different turn. This one is personal, emotional, and as real as it gets.
As mentioned above, I've mainly focused on the return of sports for these past two weeks. I want to reiterate how sports has the unique ability to bring people together in a way that many other things cannot. You’re gender, religion, political stance, and race doesn't really matter when it comes to sports. If you're a fan, all other people want to know is which team you are rooting for. Or perhaps if you’re a player on one of those teams, all the fans really care about is your performance and the team's success. Sports is a main attraction because it's entertaining, everything else in the world pretty much takes a backseat. Then 2020 happened...
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, not only were we without sports but also an alarming amount of were left jobless jobs and had very little income. Life as we know it, was changed significantly and we were in for a battle. An infectious disease that spreads like no other and not one vaccine or solution in sight. Politicians were fighting over government policies, stimulus checks, and just about everything else you could think of. We were fighting a battle! Little did we know, that there would be another battle to fight. Except this battle wasn't over a disease or a unemployment funds. It was about them...
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery.
BLACK LIVES MATTER. Every Day. Every Second.
With the world standing still in despair, as we wondered what was next for all of us, a tragedy struck and shook the entire country. On May 25th, George Floyd was murdered by Derrick Chauvin and three other officers from the Minnesota police department. He was allegedly being arrested for using a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first police car arrived, George Floyd would be pinned down on the ground by law officers showing no signs of life. That fast. However, there was nothing fast about the way he died. 8 minutes and 46 seconds. That’s how long Derrick Chauvin held his knee down on Floyd’s neck as he was handcuffed and took his last breaths while pleading for his life. Prior to Floyd's death, Breonna Taylor was murdered in her home by police in Louisville police officers while conducting a no-knock warrant. Ironically, Taylor was an emergency room technician risking her life daily to help others during the pandemic. Ahmaud Arbery was just taking his daily jog in the neighborhood when he was killed. Gregory McMichael seen Arbery running by and called his son, Travis to follow him as he suspected Arbery had been involved in some home break-ins that had took place in the area. Minutes later, Arbery was shot dead.
Everything stopped. For weeks, protesters filled the streets in every single state demanding for justice. An outcry for help. “Black Lives Matter,” they chanted in the streets and posted all over social media. These three words have brought many people together of all backgrounds but it also angered many in the process. True colors started to show all across the globe, for better and for worse.
During George Floyd’s funeral service, Rev. Al Sharpton asked everyone in attendance to stand in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. As I watched the funeral live from my living room in New York, I too decided to stand in silence that afternoon. With my nine year old brother standing behind me, I tried fighting back the tears but they just kept on coming. It all hit me at that very moment. I didn't know how but I knew that we needed to come together. At that moment I knew that we needed to make this right so that we can learn from our history instead of constantly repeating it at the expense of innocent black lives.
With sports beginning to return back to normal, there has been a major culture shift in sports. Eyes are starting to open within both the big organizations as well as amongst players. Racial and social injustices are now being discussed through sports and these large platforms are being used in a positive way.
Lastly, I want to end this piece with a few words regarding BLM. I want to make it very clear as to what those three words mean to me. When I say Black Lives Matter, I am not saying that all lives do not matter. In fact, they do. However, when I say Black Lives Matter I am acknowledging the reality that black lives are not valued and do matter to many people in this country. Therefore the "All Lives Matter" phrase cannot and will not be accepted until Black Lives Matter. It was never a movement to belittle anyone else. If anything, it's a call to action. A call for justice and equality. It's more than a movement, it's a lifestyle. BLACK LIVES MATTER.
- Christian "C Wil" Wilson
Mr. Wilson I saw the Farmville Herald article about you and your blogging venture and was interested in what your take was on current events, so I reached out to Dr. Stouffer and he sent me the link to your blog. It is well written and thoughtful.
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