WNBA Intensifies Focus On Issues: Unveils Social Justice Movement For 2020
Monday, July 6, 2020 at 12:54PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED July 13, 2020: The WNBA will tip off July 25-26 with national triple-header telecasts across ABC, ESPN and CBS Sports Network, with an opening weekend dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.
All 12 teams will be in action, and “all aspects of the game and player outfitting will be designed to affirm Black Lives Matter and honor victims of police brutality and racial violence.”
Games are being played in the IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. under COVID-19 protocols.
July 6, 2020: As the WNBA prepares to begin its delayed 2020 season, the league continues to use its national platform to impact social and political issues.
The WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Assn. said they have jointly launched The Justice Movement and the WNBA/WNBPA Social Justice Council.
According to the two organizations, “The collaborative efforts of the league and the Players Assn. represent an unprecedented and bold new commitment to advancing social justice by the longest standing U.S. sports league for women, as well as the first labor union for professional women athletes.
The mission of the Social Justice Council is to be a “driving force of necessary and continuing conversations about race, voting rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and gun control amongst other important societal issues.”
The Social Justice Council will initially be led by such players as Layshia Clarendon, Sydney Colson, Breanna Stewart, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, A’ja Wilson and Satou Sabally.
Those working with the players include Alicia Garza (founder, Black Future Labs and co-founder, Black Lives Matter), Carolyn DeWitt (CEO, Rock the Vote) and Beverly Bond (Founder/CEO, Black Girls Rock!)
An expanded list of Social Justice Council members, advisors and programming will be unveiled at a later date.
The WNBA said it would begin its 2020 season in late July with a weekend of competition centered around the Black Lives Matter movement.
Teams will wear special uniforms to “seek justice for the women and girls — including Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Vanessa Guillen and many more who have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence.”
Throughout the season, players will wear Nike-branded warm-up shirts with “Black Lives Matter” on the front. and “Say Her Name” on the back of the shirts.
“Black Lives Matter” will also be prominently displayed on courts during games.
Four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) made global headlines last week when her efforts were a major catalyst in the release from prison of Jonathan Irons, who was serving a 50-year term for burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, which was overturned this past March.
Moore went on sabbatical for the 2019 season, and remains off the Lynx roster, to devote her time and energy to Irons' cause.
“We are incredibly proud of WNBA players who continue to lead with their inspiring voices and effective actions in the league’s dedicated fight against systemic racism and violence,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said via the league.
“Working together with the WNBPA and the teams, the league aims to highlight players’ social justice efforts throughout the 2020 season and beyond. Systemic change can’t happen overnight, but it is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and promote the justice we hope to see in society.”
In its inaugural season, the Social Justice Council will “cultivate designated spaces for community conversations, virtual roundtables, player-produced podcasts, and other activations to address this country’s long history of inequality, implicit bias and systemic racism that has targeted black and brown communities.”
“As many WNBA players–past and present–have said and, more importantly, consistently demonstrated, the reason why you see us engaging and leading the charge when it comes to social advocacy is because it is in our DNA,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said via the organization.
“With 140-plus voices all together for the first time ever, we can be a powerful force connecting to our sisters across the country and in other parts of the world. And may we all recognize that the league’s stated commitment to us — in this season and beyond — offers a pivotal moment in sports history.”
The WNBA 2020 season will be conducted in IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Photo: Courtesy Maya Moore
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