DraftKings plans on donating 100 percent of its profits from the first day back of the NBA and WNBA to a charity involved with combating racial injustice, according to a tweet from @DraftKings. This announcement follows both the NBA's and WNBA’s players boycotting games Wednesday and Thursday after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis.
Daily fantasy sports sites normally bring in between 10 and 20 percent of a contest’s entry fees as a “rake,” paying out the rest to the contestants as winnings. Instead, DraftKings will be donating a day’s rake to an as-of-yet unannounced charity. At this time, it is unclear whether the NBA and WNBA will be returning to action Friday or Saturday. The ballpark estimate for the donation, according to Darren Rovell, is around $500,000.
The Milwaukee Bucks began the boycott Wednesday when they never took the court for pre-game warmups for their playoff game against the Orlando Magic. The teams eventually agreed they wouldn’t play the game, and the Rockets-Thunder and Lakers-Trail Blazers games scheduled for later that evening quickly followed suit.
Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 26, 2020
The WNBA players met at their bubble in Bradenton, Fla., and chose to join with their NBA colleagues in sitting out Wednesday. Three MLB games and five MLS games were postponed for the same reason Wednesday, with more postponements occurring Thursday, including in the NHL.
"This is not a strike," said Nneka Ogwumike, the WNBA Players' Association president. "... This is affirmatively a day of reflection."
DraftKings took part in charitable work earlier this year when it helped to donate $1 Million to United Way’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The site also posted a statement Thursday night in support of the players. It read in full:
“We fully support the athletes of the NBA, WNBA and other leagues, who have decided to pause and create the space for discussion about the shooting of Jacob Blake, and other tragic incidents which have happened both recently and over many years, highlighting the urgent need for action and reform. The DraftKings community can play an important role in amplifying the message of Black athletes. We stand with the Black community in pursuit of basic human rights and justice.”