The world鈥檚 picture of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is of the city set ablaze by riots after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Today, its streets show the nuance of America鈥檚 racial narrative and the humanity that is never extinguished.
Last week, as the emotion of the police shooting of Jacob Blake swept through America, many sports teams paused. Some leagues held temporary strikes. Others canceled practices. For many, deep conversations happened.
The one inside the Indianapolis Colts locker room was familiar. Black players like linebacker Zaire Franklin and quarterback Jacoby Brissett shared what it is like to be Black in America 鈥 always under suspicion, constantly feeling threatened by those employed to protect you.
Then Ryan Kelly stepped in 鈥 and spoke for the police. His father was an officer for 30 years, and this year the Colts鈥 center was keynote speaker at a Concerns of Police Survivors ball, held for officers killed in the line of duty. He spoke of the good cops he knew and the misunderstanding he saw. And his teammates listened.
鈥淚鈥檝e had conversations that I never thought I would have with Ryan,鈥 Brissett told . 鈥淗e鈥檚 provided tremendous insight and he鈥檚 provided ideas that, honestly, I would have never thought of. ... He鈥檚 opened eyes and, I think, vice versa.鈥
Sports can inspire and amaze. But they can also teach, and on a team where a white cop鈥檚 son is employed to defend from opponents a Black man who has spoken out in support of Black Lives Matter, the lessons are larger than X鈥檚 and O鈥檚. Said coach Frank Reich: 鈥淭he way our team handled that was the way it should be handled: with respect, listening, and it was a two-way street. And it requires a maturity that鈥檚 beyond your years to hang with it and get deeper into the discussion.鈥