Top Viral Moments of '20: Osaka sparks social-justice convo

The 2020 season was not what anybody had anticipated, but players figured out how to make a worldwide impression nonetheless. Baseline is counting down the Top 10 viral moments of 2020.

1

In a year when people so often felt they were losing control, Naomi Osaka maintained hers perfectly, evidenced by her dominance on the court combined with the simultaneous impact she made in the realm of racial justice.

The night before her Western & Southern Open semifinal, Osaka released a statement saying she'd forgo the match in order to redirect attention to the ongoing conversation about racism and police brutality.

"I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing," she posted on social media, "but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction."

The tournament, in response, rescheduled all of that day's play.

But Osaka wasn't done there. As she walked out to each of her US Open matches, she wore a mask honoring the name of a different victim of police violence or similar injustices: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice.

Of course, appearing in seven singles matches requires making it to each round of the tournament. She won them all.

Osaka's influence both on and off the scoreboard has made her one of the world's most noteworthy sports stars. She was recently named the AP Female Athlete of the Year. And LeBron James, the AP's Male Athlete of the Year, had high praise for her:

“She ignited a conversation on social justice," he said, "the results of which were bigger than tennis, larger than sports, and in doing so raised the bar for all those who want to leverage the gifts and talents we have to make a difference in our world."