MLS and MLB join protest movement on night of unrest in America

Five of six Major League Soccer games and three Major League Baseball matches were postponed amid the growing unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police.

Blake was shot seven times in the back as he opened the door of his car in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The shooting has sparked a wave of protests in recent days, some of which have turned violent.

In an unprecedented player-led show of support, three NBA and three WNBA matches were postponed, before Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Southern and Western Open in protest at the "genocide of black people".

Other sports in the US followed suit, with five of six scheduled MLS games postponed, including David Beckham's franchise Inter Miami's clash with Atalanta United.

A statement from MLS said: "MLS unequivocally condemns racism and has always stood for equality, but we need to do more to take tangible steps to impact change. We will continue to work with our players, our clubs and the broader soccer community to harness our collective power to fight for equality and social justice."

Baseball matches between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres in San Diego, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Giants in San Francisco were called off hours before they were set to begin. The Mariners have more black players on their roster than any other MLB team.

"Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight," a statement from MLB said.

The Reds also tweeted a statement that read, "The Cincinnati Reds respect the Milwaukee Brewers organization in the their decision to not play tonight's game, and join them in pausing and reflecting on the events that are causing such pain and hardship in their local community and across our great nation.

"In our commitment to help bring positive change, the Reds support the players' intention to build awareness of the issues around racial equality."