Multiple WNBA teams walked off the court in protest prior to the national anthem during the opening weekend of the league’s 2020 season.
In speaking to the media, Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner and Brianna Turner said they were opposed to the league playing the national anthem. Griner added that she would continue to leave the floor throughout the season.
As expected, many people were upset about it and voiced their frustrations online. Tomi Lahren chose another route and made fun of the lack of fan support the league gets.
On Sunday night, the Fox commentator also joined the conversation surrounding the WNBA’s anthem protest, tweeting that she’s sure “all 4 of their fans noticed” the players’ anthem demonstration.
“It was amazing that all the teams collectively were able to protest together and not come out for the national anthem,” Mercury star Brittney Griner, who led the league with 20.7 points per game in 2019, said Monday morning. “I honestly feel like we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stance to just not play the national anthem.”
Her teammate, Brianna Turner, agreed.
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“The national anthem was deemed the national anthem in 1931,” Turner said Monday. “[More than] 20 years from the Civil Rights Act. If people are saying ‘You’re dishonoring America, you’re dishonoring our country’ well, when the national anthem was deemed the national anthem, Black people didn’t routinely have rights at that point. So you’re telling us we’re disrespecting a song that didn’t even represent all Americans when it was first made.”
“People say take politics out of sports,” she added. “It doesn’t get more political than the national anthem.”
