The NBA strike is the most effective RNC counterprogramming possible

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(Image credit: Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Bucks' boycott of an NBA playoff game — to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin — is a historic moment in American culture, instantly taking its place alongside such acts of conscience as Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in a "Black Power" salute at the 1968 Olympics, or Muhammad Ali's refusal to be inducted into the armed forces during the Vietnam War.

But the boycott also takes place on the third night of the Republican National Convention — which is expected to feature "law and order" themes in support of America's police officers in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.