WNBA Players Protest Anthem Before Game 1 Of Finals
It’s important that we don’t forget to acknowledge the female athletes of all races that have joined the flurry of silent protests in sports.
These protests, though sparked by a mixed-race, male football player, have now extended to other pro sports, cultures and ethnicities and the message is one that is easily attributable to all genders.
As a way of showing their solidarity in supporting change in our nation, the Los Angeles Sparks left the floor and skipped the national anthem ahead of their WNBA playoff game in Minneapolis on Sunday.
WNBPA on Twitter
Statement by @Nnemkadi30 @cgray209 and @jlav42 on the Sparks players’ National Anthem protest prior to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals
Meanwhile, the host team Minnesota Lynx lined up on the free-throw line in front of their bench with their arms locked in unity moments before tip-off.
The Sparks went on to defeat the Lynx in Game 1 of the best-of-3 finals.
Two different methods were used to accomplish the same goal of bringing attention to the injustices in the country, showing disapproval for the insulting barrage of comments our POTUS has been dispensing and showing a desire for unity.
WNBA Commissioner Lisa Borders told reporters before the game that she expected a protest.
“Our players are some of the most socially conscious that you will ever find, she said. You have seen that in the years before I got here, and I’m sure it will continue in the future.”
This is not the first time the Lynx protested. Last year they angered local Minnesota cops when they wore T-shirts during warm-ups supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and denouncing the police slayings of African-Americans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Hoopfeed.com on Twitter
While the Sparks stayed in locker room, Lynx players on the court with arms interlocked during national anthem. #wnba
Despite the wishes of league higher ups, the women of the WNBA have always been prominently at the forefront of protests, acknowledging the problems in this country and speaking out against them.
Back in July of 2016 when racial tensions in the country were heightened and black folks were frustrated due to a rash of cops killing unarmed African-Americans across the country, the WNBA tried to flex its muscle and nip social activism in the butt by hitting the New York Liberty in the pocket. The league fined the Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever and their ballers for wearing black warm-up shirts as a symbol and cry for solidarity.
Each team got hit with a $5,000 fine and the players had to cough up $500 per perpetrator. The players eventually stopped but not before some vocal WNBA stars let it be known that they wont sit silent while people are being innocently killed in this country, so its no surprise that these elite WNBA franchises, consisting of the leagues most celebrated and superstar players, would choose to join in with over 200 other pro athletes in the sports world and stand for justice and against the venomous words of our President.
