Sen. Kelly Loeffler on calls for her ouster from the WNBA over opposition to Black Lives Matter
WNBA players want Sen. Kelly Loeffler, co-owner of Atlanta Dream, out of the league for opposing Black Lives Matter movement.
Atlanta Dream players came out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, after co-owner Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., criticized the social-justice initiative.
Each Dream player co-signed a statement, which was released Friday night.
SEN. LOEFFLER STANDS BY OPPOSITION TO 'DIVISIVE' BLACK LIVES MATTER AMID ROW WITH WNBA PLAYERS
“Black lives matter,” the statement starts.
“We are the women of the Atlanta Dream. We are women who support a movement. We are strong and we are fearless. We offer a voice to the voiceless. Our team is united in the Movement for Black Lives. It is not extreme to demand change after centuries of inequality. This is not a political statement. This is a statement of humanity.
“Black lives matter.”
The Republican senator sparked an uproar among WNBA players earlier this week when she sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, asking her to forget about the plans for players to wear warmup jerseys with Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name.” Instead, she asked for all uniforms and apparel to have the American flag on it.
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER, CO-OWNER OF ATLANTA DREAM, OBJECTS TO WNBA'S SOCIAL JUSTICE PLANS
“The truth is, we need less — not more — politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote,” Loeffler wrote. “And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports.”
A co-owner of the Dream since 2011, Loeffler said that she wasn’t consulted about the league’s new social justice policy.
Engelbert issued a statement in response to Loeffler in a statement.
“The WNBA is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people and we, along with the teams and players, will continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice," the commissioner said. "Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not served as a Governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team.”
The WNBA players union put out a tweet Tuesday saying “E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!” in response.
Loeffler appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” on Wednesday and said she had no plans to step down as a co-owner of the franchise. She pointed out that while sports have the power to unite Americans through their differences, she believes the Black Lives Matter movement is politically “divisive” and “based on Marxist principles.”
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She told host Laura Ingraham she had suggested this because the flag is a symbol that has endured the test of time and "can bring us together.”
Additionally, Loeffler reiterated her stance in an op-ed for the Daily Caller.
“But this is America and I'm not going to bow down to the woke mob,” she wrote. “I'm not going to give up on the team because of my personal or political views.”