Twenty-three year-old Jovan Miller of the Charlotte Hounds, one of only three professional African-American lacrosse players in the country, is refusing to play because of a  slogan, “#NinjaPlease,†being used by Major League Lacrosse’s sponsor, Warrior Sports, in a recent campaign. His boycott could jeopardize his future in the sport.
A few weeks ago, Miller began noticing his Twitter followers using the hashtag “#NinjaPlease.†It was being used by Warrior Sports as an advertising campaign slogan for its “Dojo
” shoe. The company has since ceased using the slogan.“It kind of alarmed me at first,†Miller told WCNC TV. “The actual meaning behind ‘Ninja Please’ is the ‘N-word Please.’ They put ninja in it to kind of disguise it.â€
Urbandictionary.com defines “Ninja Please†as a statement “used to replace ‘Ni**a please’… when black people are present.â€
“If I won’t wear the uniform, obviously I can’t play,†Miller told
WCNC. “This doesn’t just affect me. I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m speaking for every black man or black girl who has ever picked up a lacrosse stick,†Miller said.Read more at The Grio.