As the English Premier League returned to action last week, every team had donned the words “Black Lives Matter” on the back of their jerseys in the place of player names. It was a message of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and abroad.
But Monday’s match between Manchester City and Burnley served as another painful reminder of the racist messaging that exists worldwide.
During the match, reporters took notice to a plane flying over Etihad Stadium, displaying the message, “White lives matter Burnley.”
The plane was audible on TV for the opening 30 minutes of the match, and the Premier League told NBC Sports that it was investigating the plane.
“White lives matter” is a common racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been protesting the extrajudicial killings of Black people at the hands of police.
And just think: Someone was so offended by the Premier League’s visible stance against racism that they paid to have a racist message displayed over the Etihad. That’s beyond disappointing.
