No group of professional athletes has been more committed to social activism than the WNBA.
Players have been outspoken about racial injustices on social media over the last two weeks, but one important voice that has been missing publicly is commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
All 12 teams have released statements or videos condemning racism and police brutality in light of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer last week. The Lynx turned their words into action Wednesday by entering a multi-year partnership with The Minneapolis Foundation to address systemic inequities.
Meanwhile, Engelbert, who took over last July, has not given a public statement, though she has listened and spoken to players in private.
The WNBA, a league that prides itself on its diversity and inclusivity, has remained relatively quiet, with the exception of one short and vague statement.
“The time for change is now. Enough is enough.” the WNBA wrote in a May 29 tweet, which was accompanied with a graphic that read, “Bigger than ball.”
The time for change is now. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/hXbSgppm5T
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 29, 2020
Some players believe the WNBA’s response — or lack thereof — isn’t enough.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on Instagram and Twitter just assessing people’s apologies or solidarity posts,” guard Sydney Colson said. “It’s one thing to retweet and agree with other people, but ... our league is [more than 70%] black women and so it should be pretty clear where we stand.”
“You can’t tip-toe around it, like, it’s frustrating,” Diamond DeShields said. “It’s beyond frustration, though, you know what I mean? For me to say, ‘I’m frustrated’ is me putting it very lightly and nicely.”
DeShields added that she’s “not waiting for the league to say anything because at this point, it’s a little too late for that.”
The WNBA has been accused of silencing its players who speak out on racial injustice issues in the past.
In 2016, the WNBA disciplined three teams for wearing black T-shirts during pre-game warmups in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Each team was fined $5,000, and each player was charged $500 for violating the league’s uniform policy, though the fines were eventually rescinded after the league received immense backlash.
DeShields thinks there should be a more “open dialogue” between players and league officials.
“Change will start with a conversation,” DeShields said. “There are players who are carrying the burden of social injustices in many different ways and so to have an opportunity to voice that for once would not only be refreshing but also allow us to begin our work within the league which [is] a place we all love and hold very dear to our hearts.”
The WNBA held a virtual town hall with players this week, giving players an opportunity to share their thoughts on systemic racism and the Floyd protests.
“I do think that they want us to be heard, they want us to use our platforms,” Colson said. “I think players just want to make sure that while we’re using our platforms that we are fully supported.”
Asked if she felt supported, Colson said: “I have to wait until we have a bigger conversation about what steps we plan to take and what they plan to do if we take those steps.
“But whether I feel supported and stuff or not, I’m going to post what I want to post about black people dying no matter what anybody tells me. So I don’t have to feel supported if I want to talk about something or take a stance because if I was ever a part of something that did not want me to speak of a thing that is the most important to my identity then I wouldn’t need to be a part of that thing.”
