Cam Newton honored Chadwick Boseman and Jacob Blake using his NFL platform.
On September 13, the New England Patriots played against the Miami Dolphins, marking their second game of the season. After scoring his first touchdown, Newton performed the Wakanda salute, popularized through Black Panther, as opposed to his typical victory dance, in order to pay a tribute to Chadwick Boseman who passed away after four years of battling colon cancer.
Moreover, Newton also honored Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. On his cleats were marked phrases such as “7 Shots” and “no justice, no peace,” to speak against racism.
Even LeBron James honored Boseman after his unexpected death. At a Lakers game, he kneeled down- his usual position to protest police brutality- and added the Wakanda salute during the national anthem. “It actually felt like we had our Black superhero and nobody could touch us,” told reporters during a postgame conference. “To lose that, it’s sad in our community. To lose Black Panther and Mamba in the same year; 2020 is the shittiest year.”
James was also saddened by Blake’s horrific shooting. “And y’all wonder why we say what we say about the Police!! Someone please tell me WTF is this???!!! Exactly another black man being targeted,” he wrote after seeing the graphic footage. “This sh*t is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE.”
Eventually, James and other NBA players honored Blake by boycotting their playoffs. These boycotts led to several other protests across the sports community. In November, the NBA plans on converting its basketball arenas to polling sites for the elections.
WAKANDA FOREVER pic.twitter.com/S4WLDnPD0c
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 13, 2020
Cam's cleats for Week 1:
"7 Shots"
"No Justice No Peace" pic.twitter.com/E8N2SK4j7E
— ESPN (@espn) September 13, 2020
© 2020, Jonathan P-Wright. All rights reserved.
