Eschewing a team jersey and dressed in jeans and a hoodie, the Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba became the first NHL player to take a knee during the national anthem on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday evening, ahead of the Wild’s first Stanley Cup Qualifying Series game against the Vancouver Canucks, Dumba continued his protest for racial justice and became the second NHL player to raise a fist during the national anthems.
In both instances, one where he knelt on the red carpet and one where he stood inside the team bench, Dumba cut a solitary, lonely figure.
Regardless of the fact that Dumba was surrounded by teammates and fellow players during both moments, it was still abundantly clear that, because of the boldness of his actions, he stood on his own. On Saturday, Dumba knelt with the hands of the Blackhawks’ Malcom Subban and the Oilers’ Darnell Nurse on his shoulders, yet that visual only heightened the burden that players of color carry.
On center ice, there were no players joining him and instead of Dumba’s knee reading like a unifying act, it showed the gap between him and the rest of his (mostly white) NHL teammates. Prior to the Wild game on Sunday, Dumba, who is Filipino-Canadian, was inside the bench and kept his fist up for both anthems, swaying slightly as hockey players are apt to do. This time, there was no supportive hands on his shoulders and only the vague indifference of his teammates as they stared into the distance.
In private, Dumba’s teammates and other NHL players have expressed their support for his actions, showering him with hugs and well-meaning text messages.
“Just that feeling, that feeling of having that support and just love in our locker room is something that we’ve been talking about,” Dumba told reporters. “I’ve been able to share everything that I’ve been doing with my group these last couple weeks, and everyone has just jumped right on board. It’s been awesome to see.”
It’s heartening that support for Dumba from players and his teammates has been unwavering and it certainly sounds far better than what NHL player JT Brown received from the Tampa Bay Lightening when he raised his fist during the national anthem in 2017. But, what’s also become clear over the past few days is that while the NHL and players have been quick to extend their support with words, so far, no one, certainly not his white teammates, has stepped up with meaningful actions.
Players have worn Black Lives Matter t-shirts and spoken about their continued responsibility towards working for racial justice, but those vague gestures and words are just that —vague sentiments meant to placate while someone else does the work.
According to The Athletic, Dumba was specifically asked by the NHL if “he would be interested in being the face of social change on the first day of the Stanley Cup.”
It seems clear then that the NHL wanted someone they could turn into a symbol, someone who would be willing to shoulder the burden for an entire league without any help. And while privately executives praise Dumba for being “well spoken,” they’ve left him out to dry with fans and consented to him becoming the social justice whipping boy.
As has been detailed, the NHL professes a commitment to social justice, but they haven’t done much to show their support, certainly not as far as money goes. Plus, even while Dumba is facing blowback from fans and warriors in the culture war, the NHL or the Wild can’t even use the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to describe Dumba’s actions.
In their tweet about Dumba’s raised fist, the Minnesota Wild used the hashtag #WeSkateFor Equality. But there was no “we” here, only one man taking a very difficult stand.
#WeSkateFor Equality pic.twitter.com/VxpAhwiF3G
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 3, 2020
In their tweet praising Dumba’s speech on Saturday, the Wild and the NHL didn’t use the phrase that Dumba so clearly emphasized. Black Lives Matter.
The #mnwild is proud of @matt_dumba.
We respect and support his heartfelt passion. #EndRacism https://t.co/eC3vxmQkgV
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 1, 2020
This conditional, half-hearted support makes Dumba’s actions even more courageous and heartbreaking.
The league’s players of color already do more than their fair share of lifting as far as addressing racial injustice is concerned, either by constantly addressing questions from the media that white players rarely face, or being vocal proponents for social change in a league that likes to keep its rinks apolitical. There are many of them who, like Dumba, are doing the work, either through their words or with their wallets. They are already ostracized in a league that is overwhelmingly white and we ask too much of them already.
Dumba’s white NHL teammates though need to take a long look inward and search back to the social media posts they made earlier this summer. How steadfast is their commitment is to the causes they professed to care so much about a few months ago? Are they willing to take it past social media statements and t-shirts? Can they boldly come out for defunding the police and criminal justice reform? Can they say its time to arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor? Can they too raise a fist in solidarity?
Right now, Dumba and other players of color in the league need their support in that manner. Not privately in the locker room or via text message, but publicly and on the ice.
In other professional leagues, like the NBA, MLB, NWSL, and WNBA, entire teams have taken a knee before or during the anthem to show their commitment towards social justice. They present a strong, united front, letting no player stand on their own in their desire for racial equality.
The NHL though, has pushed an entire movement onto the shoulders of one man. It remains to be seen which players will have courage to join him.
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