WNBA Players Back Kelly Loeffler's Senate Opponent With 'Vote Warnock' Shirts
WNBA players want Atlanta Dream co-owner Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) out of their league ― and out of the Senate.
Players are wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts to games this week to support the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat who is challenging the Georgia Republican for her Senate seat in November.
Current and former players have called for Loeffler’s ouster from the WNBA following a string of controversial actions since she was appointed to her Senate seat last December. A supporter of President Donald Trump and former Wall Street executive, Loeffler’s views are at odds with many of the values espoused by the progressive basketball league.
THIS is what’s up! @ReverendWarnock is the real deal. These @WNBA players are organized, relentless, fearless, and this is just next level you love to see it https://t.co/5aAzQxv5J4
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) August 4, 2020
Last month, calls for Loeffler to sell her stake intensified after she voiced her opposition to Black Lives Matter in a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and called on the league to abandon its support of the anti-racism movement. She claimed it “sends a message of exclusion” for a sport to subscribe to a political agenda and expressed concerns it would drive fans away.
Engelbert has said that there are no plans to force Loeffler to sell her share of the team. She also reaffirmed that this season will be dedicated to advocating for social justice issues.
Elizabeth Williams, a forward on the Atlanta Dream, told ESPN that the “Vote Warnock” shirt idea was proposed as a response to Loeffler’s statements in an effort to effect change at a policy level.
“If we’re going to sit here and talk about wanting justice reform, part of that is making sure that we have officials in office that understand that,” she told the sports network.
She said the Dream and other WNBA players were making a coordinated effort not to address Loeffler in recent weeks. Instead, they...
