Every player from the North
Carolina Courage
and Portland Thorns took a knee during the
national anthem and wore t-shirts that said "Black Lives Matter" prior to their
National Women's Soccer League
(NWSL) match on Saturday.
In a joint statement, the players said they did so to protest racial injustice, police brutality and systemic racism against Black people and other people of color in America.
"We love our country and we have taken this opportunity to hold it to a higher standard," the players said.
"It is our duty to demand that the liberties and freedoms this nation was founded upon are extended to everyone."
The protest was popularized by
San Francisco 49ers
quarterback
Colin Kaepernick
in 2016 and the gesture has again gained steam following the death of
George Floyd
, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis last month.
Saturday's match in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, marked the first time a major North American league has returned to action since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, which upended the sports calendar in March.
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