Fashion is an easy way to make a political statement, especially if the wearer has a large audience. I’ve written about the intersection of fashion and politics. In the Trump era, it has become a normal way of expression. Right now Black Lives Matter t-shirts are a requirement for the woke crowd.

Enter the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. While the Black Lives Matter t-shirts are popular with professional athletes, this professional basketball team took their support to the next level. In honor of Jacob Blake, the team donned white t-shirts with seven bullet holes painted on the back. There’s no subtlety there. Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday.

With 7 “bullet” holes in the back of their white t shirts. My goodness the WNBA is so powerful!!!! https://t.co/hjGG8CDASc

— Alexis Johnson (@alexisjreports) August 26, 2020

WNBA players took to the court wearing t-shirts with bullet holes in them in protest at the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Full story: https://t.co/YgcMGLHJcs pic.twitter.com/8u6fSmnj09

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 27, 2020

United. pic.twitter.com/wRgXRHVUsA

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 27, 2020

Professional athletes have been busy this week canceling games, including some playoff games, in response to police-involved deaths and injuries to black criminal suspects, most recently that of Jacob Blake. Blake isn’t dead, but he is hospitalized and possibly paralyzed.

The WNBA has a history of political activism, the same as the men’s teams. The women wear their statements on social justice issues on their jerseys as the men do this year. The women followed the lead of the men and canceled their games Wednesday.

In solidarity, the WNBA canceled all three of its games scheduled for Wednesday night. Members of the Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Minnesota Lynx, and Los Angeles Sparks took a knee together on the court where they were slated to play in the WNBA bubble in Bradenton, Florida. Games for the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury were also canceled.

The Mystics’ Ariel Atkins spoke on the behalf of the team last night. “We wanted everybody to feel like they were supported,” she said of the decision to postpone the games. “Understanding that this isn’t just about basketball. We aren’t just basketball players and just because we are basketball players, doesn’t mean that’s our only platform. We need to understand that when most of us go home, we still are Black, in the sense that our families matter.”

Gesturing to a child beside her, she continued, “We got this little guy right here. … His life matters. He needs to know that he can do what he wants to do whenever he leaves his house. When he grows up. Within reason, you don’t need to go out there crazy, but he matters. And that’s what people need to understand. We’re not just basketball players, and if you think we are, then don’t watch us. You’re watching the wrong sport, because we’re so much more than that. We’re gonna say what we need to say. And people need to hear that. And if they don’t support that, I’m fine with that.”

Got it. They aren’t “just” basketball players and they have a platform to use for their political activism. Ok, but if they weren’t basketball players, they wouldn’t have the platform. That’s how this works. Without being in the WNBA, the women would be regular protesters who may or may not garner extra attention from the media. It is “just about basketball” when fans tune in to watch a game. They aren’t tuning in for political commentary – that’s what cable television is for.

Jacob Blake was shot after he walked back to his vehicle – his children were in that vehicle – and it looked to police that he was retrieving something. It is reported that he was armed with a knife. The full details of the story are not yet known. Kenosha police don’t have body cams but it is reported that they do have microphones. It has been reported that Blake “had a warrant for his arrest based on charges of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse.” If nothing else, it was really bad judgment to endanger his children when he fled the police to return to his vehicle. Police had to assume he was reaching for a weapon in the situation. His actions caused the police response.

Yesterday, Wisconsin’s Department of Justice identified the officer who fired his weapon as Rusten Sheskey and reported that “during the investigation following the initial incident, Mr. Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession. [Division of Criminal Investigation] agents recovered a knife from the driver’s side floorboard of Mr. Blake’s vehicle. A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons.” It remains unclear whether Blake was carrying the knife during the altercation, or if he went to the vehicle to get it, or what.

Jacob’s mother, by the way, is on record saying Blake would condemn the violence in the streets of Kenosha. His mother has spoken to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris but she missed a call from President Trump, which she said is unfortunate because she respects him and would have liked to talk with him. She apologized for missing the call.

The men have decided to play, after their night off, so their absence from the court will be short-lived. I imagine it will be the same for women. They made their statement and now they can get back to what they are paid to do.