The conviction of Derek Chauvin was a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to really support black lives across the world.
The murder of George Floyd was the galvanizing force behind a significant response from the sports world last year. After the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday April 20, fans turned to athletes for a response.
Despite having been relatively quiet in the past few months, the National Basketball Association commented on the trial results immediately. These responses seem to have been driven by audiences’ awareness of the NBA’s recent hesitancy towards the topic.
A statement from NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that, though they are glad that justice appears to have been served, they are aware “there is much work to be done.” This response aligned with most liberal responses to the trial’s conclusion.
Twitter user @cameron_kasky sums up the general sentiment of anti-racist responses, tweeting, “Politicians are thrilled that Chauvin has been held accountable because now they won’t have to be held accountable for fostering the system that perpetuates this cruelty.”
Apparently, the NBA and NBPA hope to avoid falling into the same category as those politicians described by @cameron_kasky who continue to permit and encourage racist systems.
This NBA and NBPA joint statement went on to promise that the NBA and National Basketball Players Association would continue to work with the Social Justice Coalition, which was formed in response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
After this, the statement suggested the existence of a plan to “redouble [team] efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing,” as if directly responding to criticism of the sports world for its quietude.
Twitter seems to be the go-to platform for sports stars to respond to events. LeBron James tweeted his immediate response to Derek’s conviction, writing simply the word “ACCOUNTABILITY” as an expression of his feelings.
“Yes, Gianna Floyd, your dad has changed the world,” tweeted the Women's National Basketball Players Association alongside a statement about Chauvin’s conviction.
Unfortunately, this tweet echoes martyr-esque sentiments expressed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that have earned her backlash from the anti-racist left. Pelosi suggested that Floyd “sacrificed [his] life for justice,” and that his name is now “synonymous with justice.”
“His life was taken from him,” tweeted @RaniaKhalek in response to Speaker Pelosi’s speech about Floyd. “Murder isn’t sacrifice. And [George Floyd’s] name isn’t ‘synonymous with justice.’ His name is synonymous with injustice [because] he was murdered by police, by an institution that murders regularly with impunity.”
Another insensitive tweet came from the National Football League’s Las Vegas Raiders. Their Twitter account tweeted, “I CAN BREATHE” alongside the date—April 20, 2021.
Several athletes tweeted that, though the conviction of Derek Chauvin marks a step in the right direction, there is much work to still be done to imbue justice into inherently unjust systems.
“I was going to make a celebratory tweet,” tennis star Naomi Osaka tweeted. “But then I was hit with sadness because we are celebrating something that is clear as day. The fact that so many injustices occurred to make us hold our breath toward this outcome is really telling.”
Osaka’s sentiments are echoed across Twitter and in the statements of fellow athletes.
“While today’s verdict cannot cure the indescribable pain of a human life violently taken, it honors the sanctity of George Floyd’s life and reaffirms that a Black life matters,” the United States Soccer Twitter account tweeted.
The sports world may quiet down once more in a month or two just as before, but the sheer quantity of reactions to Derek Chauvin’s conviction inspired a sense of solidarity once again in the wake of injustice.
Though a few athletes’ and organizations’ statements were insensitively conceived, the majority of statements from the sports world were respectful and called for continued activism.