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WNBA players set a new standard for athlete activism
WNBA activism stands at the forefront of what we will remember about 2020 and early 2021.
Not only did WNBA players set a new standard for athlete activism, but they stood up for Black people everywhere with their pursuit of getting Rev. Raphael Warnock elected to the Senate over Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler.
Loeffler is co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, but has publicly and repeatedly denounced the Black Lives Matter movement.
Black women are too often overlooked in their efforts and tribulations. Let this stand as a reminder that Black women have been the single biggest upholder of democracy in the United States.
WNBA activism
It is not just recently that WNBA players have stood up for social justice movements. Maya Moore, for example, freed a man with an unjust sentence in prison and has been outspoken about the unfairness of the justice system in the United States.
WNBA athletes have been bold and courageous in their outspokenness for the causes they believe in. Kelly Loeffler, co-owner of one of their teams or not, represents the antithesis of what these women, predominantly Black, believe in and stand for.
And how beautiful it was that Loeffler’s team’s own players specifically, were the main backers of her opponent. Raphael Warnock is now the first Black person to be elected to the Senate in Georgia.
LeBron James thinks about ownership in the WNBA
Fresh off Kelly Loeffler’s defeat in Georgia, LeBron took to Twitter to ponder an idea.
Either just getting some digs in at Loeffler, or actually serious about putting together an ownership group to buy her stake out, LeBron has certainly been tapped into the ongoing political processes in this country. And more importantly, the WNBA activists who have done their part to uphold democracy.
WNBA players deserve better than Loeffler
When the owner of a team takes direct measures to tune out its players and disregard them, it is a jarring showing of disrespect. When that owner also happens to be in a place of political power, and votes on things that would directly negatively effect its players, it’s an even bigger problem.
One cannot help think of the sharecropper’s mentality when thinking of how some sports owners treat their players. In Loeffler’s mind, she owns them, and therefore does not have to care for them or their wellness.
It is this (probable) thinking that led her to say she would vote to throw out Georgia’s election results. All just for a coup attempt by the big baby Trump.
Let us not forget about these dedicated, brave, courageous WNBA athletes who spent their spare time rallying for equality and democracy. These are not lavishly rich women. They do not have overwhelming political ties. This is grassroots organizing working in front of our eyes. And it got LeBron James and many more people’s attention.
WNBA activism stands at the forefront of the social justice movement in sports.