“We Demand Change”: The 2020 NBA Strike

Abstract

This case looks at the recent NBA players’ strike during which the Milwaukee Bucks (followed by other teams) opted out of playing in response to continued racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. Largely framed as a boycott, the action was more accurately a wildcat strike that included a list of players’ demands. Although the strike was ultimately short-lived (the considerable financial repercussions of an extended strike during playoffs surely wasn’t lost on the NBA), it was yet another example of highly publicized labor action in a year that’s seen renewed energy in worker organizing and advocacy.

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