Their message was clear: women were done sitting on the sidelines. It was their game, too. And they were taking their shot.
They were then — and are now — determined to command respect and forge a future for young girls and women that confirms: when we play the game, we win — on and off the court.
So today, when I watch amazingly talented players like Renee Montgomery (Atlanta Dream) and Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm) not only pushing the game forward but leading conversations around social justice and equality, I know they are a testimony to the strong legacy left behind by those original WNBA icons. Those of us who follow women’s basketball closely, know that often it’s been the WNBA, not the NBA, that has initiated conversations about justice and equality, prompting their male counterparts to speak out, though the women received much less fanfare.
These women have come too far to be silenced by the likes of Kelly Loeffler.
An avid supporter of President Donald Trump, Loeffler, on Tuesday, strongly urged the league to cancel plans to allow players to wear jerseys with the words “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name,” a reference to Breonna Taylor and untold numbers of other women who have been killed by police or died in custody. Instead, Loeffler wrote in a letter to league Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, she wants to see the American flag on all WNBA apparel.
“How is she still a owner? Bye Kelly. Keep that negative energy out of our league.”
“I’m pretty sad to see that my team ownership is not supportive of the movement & all that it stands for. I was already sitting out this season & this is an example of why, I would love to have a conversation with you about the matter if you’re down?”
Despite the criticism, it looks like Loeffler isn’t shying away from the attention.
And ironically, or perhaps intentionally, the senator appears guilty of the very thing she’s accusing the WNBA of doing — injecting politics into sports.
Loeffler is not backing down. And though the league is clearly trying to distance itself from their Atlanta team owner, it remains to be seen what, if any, repercussions she will face from the league.
Fighting for social justice is nothing new to the women of the WNBA.
I should know, I was there in the beginning.
In 1996, I was assistant sports editor at the New York Daily News and in charge of coverage around the launch of the league. Like the women on the court, the WNBA gave many women in sports a chance to finally prove themselves at work. In media, it was by default — the mostly white-male sports writers mocked the game, balked at covering women’s basketball.
Today’s league is steeped in a culture that has long been vocal about matters of social justice and women’s equality, from equal pay for all women and mental health awareness to racial justice and LGBTQ equality.
Back in 2009, when I was board co-chair of GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) we were invited to work with the WNBA to develop and host team and fan events for the LGBTQ fans. Our goal was to help eradicate the toxic, homophobic attitudes that too often follow women in sports. The WNBA, guided by former NBA Commissioner and civil rights champion David Stern and then-WNBA president Donna Orender, fearlessly led these initiatives, long before gay marriage and other LGBTQ rights had been won on a federal level.
Today, watching the woman of the WNBA — indeed all the young voices — demanding justice in the face of such horrifying racial hate keeps me hopeful for the future.
It feels like they are playing for all of us to win.