The moment was raw, powerful and maybe even a bit uncomfortable to watch — as if everyone was intruding on an intimate, private expression of pain.
There were no fans in the stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, but the NWSL played “The Star-Spangled Banner” over a loud speaker anyway, and the CBS television camera fixated on two players.
Casey Short, a defender for the Chicago Red Stars who is Black, kneeled and sobbed as her teammate Julie Ertz, who is white, kneeled next to her and also cried.