This year for the WNBA is a culmination of a season "steeped in political protest to an extent that's unprecedented" even for the league, according to Radnofsky & Bachman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The players have been "full-time activists every bit as much as they've been professional athletes." It is "seemingly part of the job description now." Las Vegas Aces G Kayla McBride said, "We continuously find ways to impact the world and continue to be activists across the board. We're standing at the front of the line." Players "don't think it's hurt their game, either." One of the most helpful aspects of living in the "wubble" has been the "ease with which players, who in ordinary years are in different locations, can coordinate their activities." Professional political operatives supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement said that factor "had given the WNBA's campaign one of its most effective qualities: solidarity across teams and across races." Polling suggests that the players' blending of sports and activism "may also have won general support, though sharp differences of races and party affiliation remain." The league office has "gone all-in on backing the players." Now the league and the players association "have a joint council for race, LGBTQ+ rights, voting and gun control activism" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/2).
TIME TO SHINE: In Toronto, Doug Smith wrote this is a day to "laud the WNBA for what it has done." It has "gotten the credit it deserves for what it's accomplished." The game has "enjoyed tremendous support, garnered near historic attention and the combination of the players' skills, the competitiveness of the games, and the vital social justice initiatives that the WNBA continues to support and advance, create a near perfect storm." The game and the league are "better off, and more important, than they've ever been" (TORONTO STAR, 10/2).
PLATFORM UTILIZATION: In N.Y., Kurt Streeter writes the legacy of the '20 season "will not only be about on-court action and a championship won." It also will be about the WNBA's "continued leadership in the battle for human rights." In no way has this been clearer than in "how its players have responded to brackish bullying from an unexpected source" -- Atlanta Dream co-Owner and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.). When players talk about her, they "refuse to name her." The players got behind opponent Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and "began showing up for their nationally televised games wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with two words: Vote Warnock." A Warnock campaign spokesperson said $236,000 "flowed to the campaign in the days after the T-shirt endorsement began." Though it is impossible to draw a direct correlation with the WNBA's activism, at least one major poll "shows Warnock surging ahead of Loeffler and the other candidates for the first time" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/5).
GRAND FINALE: In Chicago, Madeline Kenney noted the WNBA "successfully avoided any major outbreak and opened its best-of-five title series Friday, marking the beginning of the end in what has been one of the biggest accomplishments in the WNBA's 24 years of existence." Chicago Sky coach James Wade said, "I thought (the league) did a really good job. It was really well-handled, really well-organized. The fact that no players tested positive (in the bubble) is huge." With the WNBA season coming to an end, its players and coaches are "facing a new round of concerns as overseas basketball is starting to ramp up" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/3).
