MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYERS LAUNCH SEASON WITH SILENT PROTEST

Nearly 200 Major League Soccer players took the field for an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence to protest racial injustice before the league’s return to action Wednesday night.

Players wore black T-shirts, black gloves and black face masks emblazoned with Black Lives Matter. The shirts had varying slogans that included Black And Proud, Silence Is Violence and Black All The Time.

The players walked toward midfield, raised their right arms one at a time and held the pose so long that some could be seen stretching fatigued muscles afterward. Soccer news online

It was a poignant moment that put two of the nation’s most prominent changes over the last four months — masks and movements — at the forefront of the sport’s return. Online football news

The MLS players group was formerly called the Black Players Coalition of MLS but changed its name this week to Black Players for Change. Originally announced on Juneteenth, the group started in the wake of George Floyd’s death with the hope of combating systemic racism both in soccer and the players’ communities. The league and the players union endorsed the organization.