Heyward sets the tone for Cubs
Jason Heyward likes to pick his spots.
He admitted not being the most vocal guy when it comes to speaking out against injustice. But he figured with baseball season on hold and the country in turmoil earlier this summer, there was no better time.
“I felt like it was time to no longer make an excuse that I'm playing baseball and I have a job, I'm just going to watch these things go by,” Heyward said Friday before the Cubs' season opener against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field.
Heyward was one of the leaders of the Cubs' clubhouse discussions about the current climate in America. Black Lives Matter was a very visible part of baseball's Opening Day.
During pregame introductions, as has been the case around the league, all players held a long black ribbon as they stood on the foul lines. The Cubs painted Black Lives Matter on the back of the pitchers mound at Wrigley Field, and the players released a unified statement on social media. Both teams wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts during batting practice.
Before the first pitch, Heyward channeled Sammy Sosa and ran to his spot in right field while carrying a city of Chicago flag.
“I think JayHey is one of the more powerful leaders we have on this team because when he does speak, it speaks volumes,” said manager David Ross, who was a teammate of Heyward with both the Cubs and Atlanta Braves. “He's not a guy that likes to go around and say a whole lot.
“When he speaks, it carries a lot of weight because he doesn't always speak. We can talk about 2016 or we can talk about five minutes ago. It's real and it comes from the heart and it's genuine and you feel it when he speaks.”
Ross and Heyward talked about several team meetings during which everyone on the roster got a chance to relate their feelings and personal experience about race in America.
“We all felt it was important to be on the same page, to be supportive and understand and respect everyone's struggles,” Heyward said.
One highlight of Friday's pregame was 13-year-old gospel singer Keedron Bryant performing his original song, “I Just Wanna Live” from a rooftop across Waveland Avenue.
No player from either team took a knee during the national anthem that followed, and Heyward gave his reason for making that choice.
“I don't see today as a situation where I feel like I need to kneel, and I say that because this is what progress looks like,” Heyward said. “You have acknowledgement, you have unity, you have people of multiple races, people from different areas, different struggles standing together and acknowledging the Black struggle in this country.
“It's been acknowledged and it's also been held up on a pedestal that has not been held up before in baseball and also in sports and this world.
“So for me, no I don't see today as a necessary situation for me to kneel, but I also do support the ones that are, because I do understand that they're not kneeling for anything bad, they're kneeling for good. They're kneeling for people who have gone through the struggle. They're also kneeling for, just like myself, in a situation where I feel like I haven't spoken up before.
“Well, now it's my time.”