Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia should be turning the sports world upside down, but the outrage over it lasted all of one day.
Griner was detained in February at a Moscow airport for allegedly carrying vape cartridges that Russian officials claimed had oils derived from cannabis in them. The arrest wasn’t reported until last weekend and her booking photo did not come out until much later after that.
There’s one element of this whole ordeal that is making the family “cringe.” According to ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn, the family doesn’t particularly like how some stories have framed her case as a men’s vs. women’s sports issue.
“There have been a lot of stories asking why Griner’s predicament isn’t a bigger deal and pointing out the inequities between men’s and women’s sports. The people around her say those are great points, but… not right now. Every time the heat gets turned up, they cringe,” Quinn tweeted.
There have been a lot of stories asking why Griner’s predicament isn’t a bigger deal and pointing out the inequities between men’s and women’s sports. The people around her say those are great points, but… not right now. Every time the heat gets turned up, they cringe. https://t.co/PxBgjpymSn
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 14, 2022
Releasing Griner is the last thing on the mind of Russia officials as the country is currently invading Ukraine in an effort to try and take it over.
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Griner, who plays in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury, plays overseas every offseason to make way more money than she does in the States. It’s something many of the WNBA stars have been doing for years.
She’s played for UMMC Ekaterinburg for about seven years alongside other American women’s basketball stars.
She earns more than $1 million playing overseas – quadruple what she and some other top WNBA stars make as a base salary.
