74 of 123 teams (60%) across the big four American sports leagues issued statements regarding George Floyd's murder and the ensuing nationwide protests as of 12 a.m. ET today.
Why it matters: Teams should be judged by their actions more than their words, but seeing who did and did not acknowledge the biggest story in America gives a sense of what each franchise believes its role — and the role of sports more broadly — should be at a time like this.
NBA
- Statement (26): 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicans, Raptors, Rockets, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Wizards
- No statement (4): Hawks, Knicks, Pistons, Spurs
NHL
- Statement (23): Avalanche, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Canucks, Capitals, Coyotes, Devils, Ducks, Flames, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Islanders, Kings, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Panthers, Penguins, Predators, Sabres, Sharks, Stars, Wild
- No statement (8): Blues, Bruins, Flyers, Jets, Lightning, Rangers, Red Wings, Senators
NFL
- Statement (15): 49ers, Bears, Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Falcons, Panthers, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, Vikings
- No statement (17): Bengals, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chargers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Patriots, Redskins, Steelers, Texans, Titans
MLB
- Statement (10): Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins, Mets, Royals, Twins
- No statement (20): Angels, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Indians, Mariners, Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Reds, Red Sox, Rockies, Tigers, White Sox, Yankees
Additional notes:
- Worth noting: Nearly as many Canadian sports teams made statements (six out of a possible eight) as American baseball teams (nine out of a possible 29).
- Words matter: Not all statements are created equal. Teams like the Stars did not mince words and avoided corporate jargon, while teams like the Islanders would have been better off sitting this one out. The Wizards' "unofficial" statement, agreed upon by players, was particularly strong.
- Knicks tension: Players and employees are furious that the team hasn't made a public statement. To which James Dolan replied: "As companies in the business of sports and entertainment ... we are not any more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters." Read his full email.
Methodology: We counted all official statements attributed to the team or ownership that were posted on Twitter. Retweets of coach or player statements were not counted.
Go deeper ... The latest: George Floyd protests nationwide