As protests continue across the nation over the killing of George Floyd, many athletes, coaches and teams have spoken eloquently and thoughtfully about the need to address police brutality against black communities.
The New York Islanders are not one of those organizations.
In fact, the Islanders word jumble stands out as a prime example of what not to do. In their statement, the NHL team used every vague, cloying, empty platitude about unity and togetherness without even coming close to addressing the systemic racial prejudice plaguing black communities.
In this case, it would have been better if the team had chosen not to say anything at all.
#UnitedAsOne pic.twitter.com/XUmXIanRKf
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 1, 2020
Their statement starts with an empty condemnation of “racism and injustice” while promoting the need to “come together.” They then endorse the NHL’s mostly meaningless statement. In their final paragraph, rather than specifically acknowledge Floyd or the Black Lives Matter movement, they take a minute to thank police officers.
The Islanders statement is nothing but an obfuscation of the facts of why people are protesting in the streets. This is “both sides”-ism at its worst, a corporate ploy that plays towards racial justice without saying anything of value about it.
If you want a further run down of why the Islanders should have been better off not saying anything at all, here’s a good breakdown via Russian Machine’s Peter Hassett.
there is now a rubric for these pic.twitter.com/ahgLmdNETN
— Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) June 1, 2020
Did the Islanders mention Floyd? No. Did they condemn police violence? Nope. Did they describe any meaningful action they’ll take? Again, no. Did they use the phrase Black Lives Matter? No.
The Islanders statement typifies a lot of the empty posturing we’ll all likely see from brands and teams who are trying to appear on the side of racial justice without doing any of the work. Right now is not the time to give space to people and organizations like the Islanders. Their voices aren’t the ones we need right now.
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