NBA / WNBA Hypocrisy Over Social Issues

NEW YORK -- WNBA players aren't the only ones who can't understand why their social activism has resulted in fines by the league.

The Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury and their players were fined by the WNBA for wearing black warm-up shirts in the wake of recent shootings by and against police officers.

All three teams were fined $5,000 and each player was fined $500 as the shirts violated the league's uniform policy. While the shirts were the Adidas brand -- the official outfitter of the league -- WNBA rules state that uniforms may not be altered in any way.

"What's most upsetting is the way it was handled," Indiana Fever player rep Briann January said. "You have a league that is 90 -- if not above 90 -- percent African-American and you have an issue that is directly affecting them and the people they know and you have a league that isn't willing to side with them.

"It's not a race issue, not an anti-police issue, not a black or white issue. It's a right or wrong issue."

Anthony, among those trying to get athletes to take a more active role in social issues, agrees with January and her fellow players that the fines are misguided.

"I don't see no reason to fine them. If anything you should want to support them," Anthony said Thursday. "I don't know details, but don't see a reason to fine them.

"A bunch of teams did it and individuals did it. Everybody has their own freedom of speech. If they decide to use the platforms to do that, I don't see any reasons for anybody to get fined. We did it. The NBA did it two years ago. The NBA was very supportive. I don't see why it would be different this time."

Tina Charles
✔@tinacharles31
Special Thank You to @indianafever players for supporting the idea of a "media blackout" after…https://www.instagram.com/p/BIJEFpLhl09/
7:16 PM - 21 Jul 2016

Charles is looking forward to discussing future actions at the Olympics, where she'll have a chance to talk with her teammates on the women's national team and NBA players on the U.S. men's team.

"Being able to see how they feel and what they want to do, coming collectively together," Charles said. "Seeing the other 11 WNBA teams, how we basically just did a media blackout, if they are up for doing the same thing."

NBA players previously have taken a stand in support of victims of police brutality without being fined. LeBron James and Derrick Rose wore "I Can't Breathe" shirts in honor of a Staten Island man who died after police placed him a chokehold in 2014. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement after the players wore the shirts that he supported the players for expressing their personal views but preferred they adhere to on-court attire rules.

No NBA players wore the "I Can't Breathe" shirts after Silver's statements.

The WNBA fined players after they ignored a league memo earlier this week to the teams reminding them of the uniform policy. The memo was sent out after Minnesota, New York and Dallas players wore shirts in remembrance of two men who were shot by police and the five Dallas police officers who were killed in an attack on July 7.

The Lynx wore their shirts only once and said they will shift their focus to addressing the issue in other ways. After wearing shirts with the hashtag "Black Lives Matter" and "Dallas5" for one game, the Liberty reached what the players said was a compromise, wearing plain black shirts bearing only the Adidas logo. For now they are back to wearing their normal warm-ups.

The league will go on a monthlong Olympic hiatus beginning Saturday, but January said players will continue to actively engage in the social discussion.

"I think there's a lot of people in our league who are very passionate about it. As a player rep we are going to continue having these conversations," she said. "The timing of them releasing the statement and giving us the papers was very timely on their part."

 

Can WNBA players really count on the league's support?

"But the issue is more nuanced than that. The WNBA has had its players wear warm-up shirts expressing support for a variety of causes or to show sympathy. Such as T-shirts in response to the Orlando massacre in June, when 49 people were murdered at a nightclub.

According to Bass, what the players wanted in response to the deaths of Sterling, Castile and the Dallas officers was a shirt that was made with the league's approval and support that could have been worn by all WNBA teams. The fact that didn't happen is what the players are particularly concerned about."

 

I think they took the position because they don't want to show support for a Black leaning political position.

 

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