Kansas City Chiefs fans booed before the kickoff at the Chiefs and Texans game on Thursday night as the players were holding a moment of “unity.”
Players from both teams locked arm in arm and stood together in demonstration against the injustices Black folks face in this country every single day.
And fans booed while it was happening. It was awful.
On Friday, everyone began offering up their explanations as to why fans were booing. Some said they were just saying “Chiefs,” which, uh, sure. There were so many answers for what it was or what it seemed to be, but the best one yet came from ESPN’s Ryan Clark on First Take.
He was blunt. He said fans were booing because the NFL decided it was going to do something that benefits Black people.
Ryan Clark on why fans booed when players linked arms before the Texans vs Chiefs game: "Because you're doing stuff for Black people." Via (@FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/RNNRB8poAF
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) September 11, 2020
“JJ Watt says, ‘Well, we just came together for unity. I don’t really understand why people would boo.’ Well, I’ma help him out. They’re booing because you’re doing stuff for Black people. They’re booing because you’re saying police brutality, social injustice, against that community is wrong. That’s why they’re booing. Not because y’all linked up. Not because white players are hanging out with Black players and they see things the same way.”
He wasn’t done there. He had a lot more to say.
“It’s about the thing you see the same way…If you link for breast cancer, they’re going to clap. If you link up for autism, they’re going to clap. If you link up to pay homage or honor veterans, they’re going to clap. I know they’re going to clap because I’ve been there and I’ve linked up for those things. But you linked up to say that Black people need to be treated differently. That’s the problem.
Straight up.
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