WNBA players turned tide against Loeffler
They helped oust co- owner of atlan ta dream from U. S. Sena te. Will she las t in the league?
For the women of the WNBA, the push to expel one of their league’s owners from office — and ultimately help tip the balance of the U. S. Senate — started with two words on a plain black T-shirt.
It was summer. Amid nationwide protests against racial injustice, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R- Ga., co- owner of the Atlanta Dream, had sent a letter to the league that denounced its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, parroting President Donald Trump’s rhetoric as she fought to keep her seat.
Loeffler’s embrace of Trumpism had shocked those who had known her as an inclusive boss in a league dominated by Black women. But it appeared to be working: She was leading the crowded race, while one of her opponents, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, polled at only nine per cent.
Then WNBA players responded. They rejected Loeffler’s letter. And in early August, players from across the league, including those from her own team, wore shirts that read “VOTE WARNOCK.”
In the three days that followed, Warnock’s campaign raised more than US$ 236,000 and added nearly 4,000 followers on Twitter. His support grew from there, catapulting him into a run- off with Loeffler. And on Tuesday, he defeated Loeffler and soon will become the first Black senator from Georgia. Jon Ossoff ’s win in a race called Wednesday gave Democrats slim control over the Senate, with vice president-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote.
WNBA players, many of whom are spending the off- season overseas with international teams, spent Wednesday celebrating their assist — and wondering what it means for Loeffler’s future in the league.
“It’s a special moment for us because we’re constantly at the forefront of every issue, but we don’t get the respect we deserve,” said Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, who opted out of this past season to focus on social justice causes. “Whether it’s on the court or off the court in our influence. You have a moment like this where you can’t say we didn’t help determine the outcome.”
Loeffler has been with the Dream since 2010, and she has vowed not to sell her stake in the team. But she would return next season to a roster and league of women who openly campaigned against her.
Dream centre Elizabeth Williams, playing in Turkey, took part in a virtual “Warnock for Georgia” event last month. Over the summer, her teammate, Tiffany Hayes, who also opted out, posted a letter to Instagram signed by the players expressing unity with Black Lives Matter, including the hashtag “Uownthedreamnotme.” Last month, she co-hosted a voter registration event in Atlanta.
“Some might call her our boss, in a sense, and for you to go against your boss, it can go wrong in a lot of ways,” Hayes said in an interview. “I definitely commend all the girls, all of us, for stepping up and standing up, even though there could have been consequences.”
This summer, as most of the league formed a bubble in Bradenton, Fla., Loeffler stayed away, campaigning in Georgia and working in Washington. Yet her presence was felt, even as it was concealed. Players refused to say her name in interviews, but the campus presented the opportunity to quickly mobilize in opposition.
They were disappointed in the league’s response, a two- sentence statement that did not address Loeffler’s future in the WNBA. So they huddled in a meeting room and decided to send their own message. But first, a small leadership group had a frank talk with Seattle Storm all-star Sue Bird.
“There’s some pain involved in this. There’s some hurt feelings involved,” said Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBA players’ union.
Jackson applauded the players for “being honest with themselves and each other and reaching out across all the teams and letting their White sisters know we need you in this. And Sue’s like, ‘ I got you.’”
Bird came up with the idea to wear T-shirts.
“I’m not a political strategist. Who am I? Who are any of us in the WNBA to get into any kind of verbal spat about politics with her? Why would we do that?” Bird said in an interview Wednesday. “We kind of took that part out of it and redirected all of our energy and support into Reverend Warnock, and it got us back in line with what we got into that bubble season for anyway — to talk about Black Lives Matter, to talk about ‘ Say Her Name,’ to encourage people to vote.”
To Bird, a reigning WNBA champion, the flipped Senate seats are bigger than basketball.
“Someone was like: ‘ Your four gold medals are cool and all, but you may have just saved democracy,’” Bird said. “‘ That might be your biggest accomplishment.’”
What happens next? Ousted from politics but still part of the WNBA, Loeffler, at minimum, faces an awkward homecoming.
“I know from a social and personal standpoint, no one wants her in our league,” Cloud said.
On Wednesday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement that “discussions with potential buyers are ongoing.” She gave no timeline as to when a possible sale could happen. After Loeffler’s loss, NBA superstar Lebron James mused on Twitter about putting an ownership group together to purchase the Dream. His support is welcome: “I’m glad we have the men in our corner now,” Mccoughtry said.