After the deadly shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas police officers, players in the WNBA made a decision to take a stand by wearing all black in protest.
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These three teams were fine for $5,000 and players were given a $500 penalty due to altering the uniforms, which the WNBA didn’t like. The hefty penalty the players received for wearing the shirts was $300 more than the normal $200 fine.
The decision by Borders to backtrack on the fines came after many WNBA players expressed support for their fellow players.
Borders addressed that while the league “expects players to comply with league rules and uniform guidelines”, she also acknowledged the importance of using their platforms as players to bring awareness to certain societal issues.
“It’s a huge win overall”, Fever All-Star and players’ union president Tamika Catchings told ESPN. “I’m really proud of the players standing strong and for utilising their voices”. The players wore black warm-up shirts that read “Change Starts With Us: Justice & Accountability” on the front. We have a social responsibility as well’. “We want to be able to use our platforms, we want to be able to use our voices”, she continued. “When we take off our jerseys and we are out there, we could be next”. Washington Mystics players had shirts saying “Black Lives Matters” in the locker room after their game Friday night.
‘People responding to me said you gained a fan, not because of what I do on the court, but the act I did.
Charles’ former college head coach, Team USA Head Coach Geno Auriemma, is also happy to see that the league is in full support of what his players stand for.
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.
“Not going to do do-overs”, she said. “We’ll get some things right and some things wrong”.
“Our players are important to us”. We believe in them.
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The NBA and WNBA are now trying to find a balance between maintaining discipline when it comes to policies created to protect agreements with various sponsors and not restricting the free speech rights of the players regarding an emotionally charged issue. “We look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with the league to ensure that the players’ desire to express themselves will continue to be supported”.
