The women began wearing their shirts in protest after Alton Sterling and Philando Castille, two African-American men who were fatally shot multiple times by police officers in Baton Rouge and Minnesota respectively.
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After the press conference the women of the WNBA team New York Liberty staged last week, and all of the media coverage it received, it would have been impossible for the organization to ignore the players, their message or their need to be supported by an organization that profits off of their physical labor.
“All of us at the WNBA have the utmost respect and appreciation for our players expressing themselves on matters important to them”, WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a statement Saturday just two days after she approved the penalties.
‘Our players are important to us.
Fever All-Star Tamika Catchings, who is president of the players union, called the league’s decision to rescind the fines a “huge win overall”.
We are pleased that the WNBA has made the decision to rescind the fines the league handed down to the players on the Fever, Liberty and Mercury.
‘We were making every effort to engage our players, ‘ she said.
Her reversal followed the Rev. Al Sharpton’s offer to pay the $500 fines. They shouldn’t be anything but celebrated for standing up for what they believe in. They say that it’s wonderful that someone can understand the emotions of people living in the sensitive era that we do. The players wore black warm-up shirts that read “Change Starts With Us: Justice & Accountability” on the front.
‘We want to make sure they play well on the court and they are happy off the court’. “I don’t see why there would be a reason for those ladies to get fined”, he said, as The Washington Post reported. They later switched to a plain black shirt. But the fines weren’t enough to stop players. “The players want to blog about (Black Lives Matter), tweet about it, do videos”.
WNBA teams abided by the uniform rule Friday – the final day of games before the monthlong Olympic break.
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“I think it was obviously the right thing to do”, said Coach Auriemma, “I was really proud of Tina [Charles] and my former players that stood up”. She said the union proposed letting the players have a limited time to express their opinions on the court.
