Nick Saban is so tunnel-visioned, he famously claimed he didn’t know that Donald Trump had won the 2016 election until someone told him. If that seems a little extreme, it’s not exactly out of character for coaches in general. They hate distractions. And what, exactly, constitutes a distraction? Anything that gets in the way of winning.

So it was more than a little disconcerting Tuesday to see Doc Rivers, the Clippers’ coach, talk about fear and loathing and the Republican National Convention immediately after a record-setting blowout of the Mavs.

And then the Bucks one-upped Rivers on Wednesday, threatening to boycott their game against the Magic to protest the police shooting of an unarmed Black man in a town just south of Milwaukee. When the Rockets and Thunder followed on the Bucks’ heels, the NBA postponed all three of Wednesday’s playoff games.

And then the Brewers jumped in with both feet, too, boycotting Wednesday’s game against the Reds.

Like it or not, athletes and coaches have allowed themselves to be distracted by events bigger than the games they play. They’re not content with symbolic gestures. Words of protest spelled out on city streets, arena floors and backs of jerseys no longer illustrate the depths of their frustration, which has led to a level of social protest not seen since AFL players boycotted the league’s 1965 All-Star game over treatment of Black players in New Orleans.

Of course, the question is, what good will it do? International protests followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, and it didn’t keep a Wisconsin cop from shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back Sunday at point-blank range.

Will boycotts keep such a travesty from happening again? No. Not even universal police reform could accomplish that, at least not in the short term. Not when it’s ingrained in so much of our society, as just about anyone with a cellphone these days can seemingly document.

But even if you disagree, as many of my emails these last few months indicate, ask yourself a question:

What else are athletes to do? Shut up and dribble? Even if you think so, you should know we’re way past that now.

Athletes stuck their necks out after Floyd’s death and leagues took notice. They’ve seen a sliver of change as a result and hope for more. There’s no going back. And that’s what ignoring what happened Sunday in Kenosha, Wis., would constitute.

These protests aren’t fodder for a 24-hour news cycle, not for the protesters. It doesn’t go away when others grow weary of the first wave of stories.

If you’re tired of it, think how George Hill feels. The Bucks guard is a key piece on a team that has a good shot to win it all, and he doesn’t seem to have the stomach for it.

“First of all,” he told reporters this week, speaking of the Orlando bubble, “we shouldn’t have even come to this damn place, to be honest.

“Coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are.”

We’re not used to reading or hearing such sentiments from athletes. We’re a little shocked that they might let their consciences get in the way of winning, no matter the form it takes. Sandy Koufax sat out Game 1 of the ’65 World Series for Yom Kippur. He was good enough to receive special dispensation from the Dodger faithful. Not all are so fortunate. Thirty-one years later, when Brewers’ backup catcher Jesse Levis pinch hit against Baltimore on Yom Kippur, he bemoaned his lowly status.

“It’s not like I’m Sandy Koufax,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of leverage.

“I hope God forgives me.”

A little grace is due all of us in 2020. It’s an angry time. The pandemic wrung out most of our patience before social upheaval squeezed out the rest.

Many of you tell me you’ve given up on pro sports in the wake of these protests the last few years, and that’s certainly your right. I understand where you’re coming from. But I see the players’ side, too. They’re risking something in these protests, and it’s more than just money.

Eventually they’ll go back to playing games, with or without you. They may not be as tunnel-visioned, though. One of these days we’ll realize that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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