The WNBA Is Protesting Police Violence With Black T-Shirts — and Won’t Back Down

Yahoo Style Contributors
Photo: AP)
Photo: AP)

At the ESPY Awards last week, four NBA players stood up and asked their fans, peers, and friends to act. They charged other athletes in the audience to renounce all violence, including — but not limited to — the controversial killings of black individuals at the hands of police. In the wake of that, WNBA players from the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury answered the call by wearing black shirts during their warm-ups to recognize the efforts of Black Lives Matter. Players and teams who participated were fined for those actions, as WNBA rules state that uniforms may not be altered in any way.

The inherent problems in the situation are multifold. In the wake of the Orlando, Fla., Pulse nightclub massacre, the league issued #ORLANDOUNITED warm-ups that featured a rainbow-colored heart. All six teams playing that following Friday night wore the design as a sign of solidarity. So, what was the problem here?

This week’s demonstration featured shirts not officially sanctioned by the league — and that’s the only recognizable difference. The WNBA as a whole took a stance on the Orlando shooting, but in this case, it was individuals and entities, not the organization, making a political statement. Yet, for a league that employs around 90 percent African-American players, why wouldn’t this be a clear side to take? “It’s not a race issue,” Indiana Fever player rep Briann January said. “Not an anti-police issue, not a black or white issue. It’s a right or wrong issue.” Since the fines, the players have begun to stage a media blackout. But it should be noted that the women are not alone.

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks spoke out Thursday, siding with the women. “I don’t see no reason to fine them,” he said. Each participant was cited $500, and while that might be a drop in the bucket for an NBA player, WNBA players can make as little as $40,000 a year. “If anything, you should want to support them,” the New York Knick added.

“A bunch of teams did it and individuals did it,” Anthony, who was one of the four NBA players to stand up at the ESPYs, continued. “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.”

And it’s true: In December 2014, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, and more wore “I Can’t Breathe” tees following grand jury decisions in the cases of the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City. While those shirts got a small chiding from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the league decided it would not fine anyone who wore them. Here’s the $500 question: If the rules are the same, what differentiates these situations?

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