Anyone who knows the history of women’s sports fully grasps the idea that the personal is, indeed, political.
It’s because women in sports, much like women in society, have always had to struggle for basic rights, dignity and legitimacy. Therefore, it has become an obligation for women in sports to call out injustice as they see it. They haven’t been given the privilege to just “stick to sports” like their male counterparts.
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Another such example of this reality came to fruition this week when various professional women’s basketball players, once again, spoke up for justice in light of the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
While competing for Mist BC in the second season of Unrivaled in Miami, the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart walked out during player introductions with a sign reading “ABOLISH ICE.” The recent tragedies hit even closer to home for her because her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, with whom she has two children, is an immigrant from Spain and who’s on a green card.
“I was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news,” Stewart said to ESPN. “We’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of ‘ABOLISH ICE,’ which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.”
Before games on Jan. 25, Unrivaled also held a moment of silence. From there, the floodgates opened as a more WNBA/Unrivaled players weighed in.
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Brianna Turner, who recently played with the Indiana Fever, posted on social media, “The minority that are still defending ICE will forever be on the wrong side of history.”
The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese posted, “Praying for our country”
During a post-shootaround media availability ahead of Unrivaled’s Friday night games in Philadelphia, WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, a native from Minnesota who plays for the Dallas Wings and Breeze BC, shared the following:
It hits a little bit home for me because I’m from there.
It’s unfortunate. Honestly, I’ve grown up seeing, and been a part of, peaceful protests, marches and the community coming together because of tragic events. Innocent lives are being taken, innocent families are being broken apart. People are afraid to send their children to school; people are afraid to go to work and provide for their family; people are afraid to go to the grocery store.
What’s going on is not OK. We hope and pray there’s a change in direction from where this is heading.
Another Minnesotan, Rachel Banham of the Chicago Sky and Lunar Owls BC, expressed her appreciation for how the environment of Unrivaled creating space to speak out, saying:
It’s a league comprising minorities, women of color, and we’re never scared to speak on anything and represent though who don’t have a voice. And that’s always really cool to be a part of. I’m not the most vocal person, but I’m really proud to just be a part of people who are and I get to learn from them and learn from each other.
Male athletes and coaches have not been totally silent, with the likes of NBA stars Tyrese Haliburton, Steph Curry and Victor Wembanyama, and well as head coach Steve Kerr, condemning ICE and/or supporting the people of Minneapolis.
But WNBA players were, right from the jump, leading the charge, which is nothing new.
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Since the WNBA began in 1997, players have used their platform to push for social change at every opportunity. Racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, pay equity (including the ongoing CBA negotiations), reproductive rights, immigrants’ rights. You name it, and WNBA players have advocated for it.
The players not only represent, but fully exist, at those intersections. Usually, it is their voices that spark a movement, even if they usually don’t get the credit.
Almost a decade ago, in July of 2016 and again in Minneapolis, the nation learned about the police killing of Philando Castile, which occurred around the same time as the killing of Alton Sterling by police in Louisiana, along with the killings of five police officers in Dallas, TX.
It was then that players in the WNBA used their platform to call for change. It was the Minnesota Lynx, led by Maya Moore, who put forward a call to action for athletes and others to do their part in creating a more equitable and just world.
That was a month before then San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. History records Kaepernick as being the catalyst for a new wave of athlete activism, but it was actually the players in the WNBA who were on the frontlines first.
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Fast forward to the Summer of 2020, where COVID shut everything down and the world witnessed the police murder of George Floyd, once again in Minneapolis. Given that athletes had more time on their hands, they not only tweeted, but they also marched. Natasha Cloud, then of the Washington Mystics, and Renee Montgomery, then with the Atlanta Dream, sat out the 2020 season to be in the trenches.
Those that played in the Wubble made sure to center the names of not only George Floyd, but also Breonna Taylor, a paramedic who was killed by police in her home in Louisville, KY in March 2020, and other Black women that were killed under similar circumstances.
They evoked the cry of “Say Her Name” loud and proud. Furthermore, all 144 players galvanized themselves around voting and civic engagement to complement their pleas for justice.
That enabled them to help spur a political sea change in the state of Georgia, where their efforts helped get Rev. Raphael Warnock to the United States Senate over then-Dream owner Kelly Loeffler, who is currently the administrator of the Small Business Administration. This was after Loeffler made disparaging comments about the Black Lives Matter movement. Loeffler not only lost her Senate seat, but also the Dream. In 2021, Montgomery was part of the new ownership group that took over the franchise.
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One year later, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1971 landmark ruling that granted constitutional protections on reproductive rights, players spoke out when the larger sports world went back to business as usual.
So, it goes to show that where we are now is where we always have been when it comes to WNBA players. The players have consistently met the moment, compelling others to follow their lead.
It’s been said that we are now at an inflection point, but will there be any action? WNBA players have been putting out a call to action for years, and yet complacency triumphs over courage.
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Courage needs to be the new precedent.
