On Wednesday, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks refused to take to court for their playoff game against the Orlando Magic to call attention to Jacob Blake’s police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“We call for justice for Jacob Blake and demand that the officers be held accountable,” the team said in a statement. “To prevent this, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to come back after months of action and take meaningful action to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal law reform. We encourage all citizens to stand up for themselves. to learn, to act peacefully and responsibly, and to remember to vote on 3 November. “
Other athletes from the NBA, WBNA, NFL, MLB and MLS also protested by refusing to play scheduled matches, which could be rescheduled.
The collective actions have sparked conversations about police brutality and racial injustice – such as how such collective actions are described.
When the Milwaukee Bucks refused to go to court, many described the actions as a “boycott,” including the Washington Post and The New York Times.
Famous athletes such as LeBron James also used the term “boycott.”
But others, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have indicated that such actions could be more accurately described as a “strike”.
“A boycott is where consumers stop buying a product in protest,” said Alexander Colvin, a Labor and Employment Researcher and dean of the ILR School at Cornell University. “A strike is where workers stop their work in protest. The NBA, WBNA, MLS, and other sports stars are engaged in a strike, not a boycott.”
Colvin goes on to say, “What confuses some people is that they are focusing on the object of the protest, rather than the type of action being taken. A strike may be aimed at winning higher wages or it may be aimed at it. create a political protest; both actions would be a strike because they involve both workers stopping the work to make a point. “
According to AP Style, a boycott is “an organized refusal to buy a product or service, or to deal with a merchant or group of merchants.”
For example, in 1955, civil rights activists coordinated the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for refusing to give her bus seat to a white man. During the boycott, an estimated 40,000 black bus riders – the majority of Montgomery’s bus riders – stopped using the public bus system. The boycott put financial pressure on the city and drew attention to the unequal treatment of Black citizens.
The Supreme Court eventually forced Montgomery’s bus system to integrate by enforcing a lower court decision on December 20, 1956, and after 381 days, the boycott officially ended.
Members of the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks gather at the Field Entertainment Center on August 26, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake police.
Ned Dishman | Getty Images
A strike, however, is defined as “a concerted work stoppage, interruption or delay by a body of workers.”
According to this definition, the protest of the players by refusing to play is actually a strike. If the fans refused to go to or watch games, that would be a boycott.
For example, in 2019, some 30,000 teachers in Los Angeles County went on a six-day strike, bringing the estimated 600,000 students.
During this time, the district teacher’s union negotiated for a 6% increase, a gradual decrease in classmates and more advisors, librarians and nurses.
However, some athletes say that the current movement goes beyond one definition.
“This is not a strike. This is not a boycott. This is affirming a day of reflection, a day of informed action and mobilization,” WNBA player Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement.
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