U.S. sports teams take stand against gun violence

New York, June 4 (Reuters) – His home team is already involved in the incident as the defender urges Washington to curb the violence following the shootings in Buffalo and Uwalda.

A team of American experts participates in national debates on gun control. Seventy-five teams will take part in the annual Wear Orange weekend, which began on Friday, with a campaign aimed at eradicating gun violence. Everytown is making a profit on gun safety.

It’s a far cry from the 180 professional teams that span baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer, but it’s a big improvement over last year’s 29 teams. Players usually wear a small orange ribbon on their uniform.

There are also many other organizations in the United States dedicated to curbing gun violence that teams can get involved with.

“This is an unprecedented time. This is a watershed moment,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, director of Everytown for Gun Safety.

“They also know, quite frankly, to know their market and stay up to date.”

A few days after authorities said white paranormalists had killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo’s black neighborhood, an 18-year-old semi-automatic AR-15 archer killed 19 elementary students and two teachers in Uvarda last month. New York, last month. rifle. yoke. read more

Many Republicans said they would resist gun restrictions, but the shootings created a new call for Congress to curb gun violence.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans, including 53% of Republicans, said they support moderate or strict gun ownership rules, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month. read more

The Nationals, Houston Texans and San Antonio Spurs are among the first teams to work with Everytown on gun safety this year. The organization declined to provide a complete list of participating franchises.

On Friday, citizens wore “enough” jerseys as they were brought onto the field to warm up before an away game in Cincinnati, joining the other six D.C. teams. and “reducing gun violence.” . “

The move comes about a week after the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays used their social media accounts to post gun violence data rather than resume play. read more

In the NBA, the Toronto Raptors filed a petition Friday, urging Canadian lawmakers to join the United States in celebrating the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

A few days ago, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr refused to discuss basketball at a pregame news conference and spent time calling for stricter gun control. read more

On Friday, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) announced that it has partnered with Everytown for the fourth year in a row.

“Is there any risk? Yes. You can isolate your fans. Amy Base, a sports research professor at Manhattanville College who specializes in the crossroads of sports, culture and politics, said: …

“Or the opposite can happen. You can empower your fans.”

According to Bass, Black Lives Matter’s work in the summer of 2020 has created a “new rung of the ladder” for athlete performance, called “catalysts” for athletes and teams.

“The summer of 2020 kickstarted sports,” she said.

Coco Gauff, who brought Black Lives Matter to the world stage through tennis with Naomi Osaka, who won four Grand Slam titles two years ago, called for an end to gun violence at the French Open on Thursday. read more

“We have great respect for these athletes, but they are also members of the community,” Ferrel Zabara said. “It seems natural for them to use their voices to get to the root of this problem.”