Players spoke…
I refuse to be silent @WNBA pic.twitter.com/INIAI1rSIF
— Tina Charles (@tinacharles31) July 21, 2016
It’s bigger than US! Proud of my @indianafever mates, and all of the ladies around the league… https://t.co/R7jJZdTfav
— Tamika Catchings (@Catchin24) July 22, 2016
“Stand for something or fall for anything.”
— Mistie Bass (@A_Phoenix_Born) July 21, 2016
And the league listened.
On Saturday, the WNBA decided to take back previous fines that were imposed on players and teams for wearing warmup shirts designed to show support for the Black Lives Matter cause. The shirts also showed support for police officers killed in the line of duty.
The league originally fined the New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Indiana Fever $5,000 for the shirts. Several players were also fined $500 and voiced their displeasure by staging a media blackout.
The WNBPA’s Director of Operations, Terri Jackson issued this statement regarding the WNBA’s rescinding of the fines.
We are pleased that the WNBA has made the decision to rescind the fines the league handed down to the players on the Fever, Liberty, and Mercury. We look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with the league to ensure that the players’ desire to express themselves will continue to be supported.
–Terri Jackson
This statement was offered by the WNBA as league president Lisa Borders talked about why the fines were rescinded.
.@WNBAPrez, Lisa Borders statement on recent team and player uniform violation fines. pic.twitter.com/RJMZHQ0htL
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 23, 2016
Among those who also issued a statement included Liberty President Isiah Thomas, who commended the league for taking back the initial edict.
We commend Lisa Borders for recognizing how the players of the WNBA felt and the sensitive time that we’re living in and being able to re-evaluate their decision. We are also very proud of our players the world is seeing what we already knew. They’re truly incredible, thoughtful, and talented individuals. Our league, our partners, and our society are better because of players’ willingness to enter the political and social activism arena.
–Isiah Thomas (per USA Today)
The initial fines drew criticism across the board from WNBA players who took to social media to express their disdain for what the league did…
Exactly… pic.twitter.com/PIi18CwLhp
— Mistie Bass (@A_Phoenix_Born) July 21, 2016
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal” -MLK @wnba #WewillNOTbesilenced#Blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/utjcNjOveU
— Breanna Stewart (@bre_stewart30) July 22, 2016
…to NBA players as well as a cavalcade of other supporters. This past Friday when the Seattle Storm visited the Minnesota Lynx at the Target Center in Minneapolis, fans broke out in a chant of “Black Lives Matter.”
The shirts were worn in reaction to the deaths of two African-American men, Alton Sterling of Louisiana, and Philando Castile of Minnesota who were shot by police, as well as a mass shooting in Dallas at a Black Lives Matter protest which saw five officers killed.
With the WNBA heading into its Olympic break, fining the players was not a positive PR look. Players were displeased and rightfully so.
Having this be the primary topic on everyone’s lips regarding The W instead of Team USA’s upcoming showing in Rio or the numerous headlines that has captivated fans throughout the first half of the season would not be a good look for Borders in her first year as league president.
The WNBA has always branded itself as an inclusive league—as was shown to its reaction and outreach to the LGBT community after the shooting in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub. As Liberty president Isiah Thomas mentioned, social activism is something that should be encouraged among athletes and proves that they do care about more than just the name and the fame.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
