By Evan Cooper Emerging as a force to be reckoned with against gender identity discrimination, Layshia Clarendon, the WNBA’s first openly trans and non-binary player, is “at the forefront of the league’s groundbreaking social justice efforts and is tasked with engaging community conversations, advocacy and education on important topics surrounding social justice.” For all of their grassroots efforts in challenging policy and culture around gender in sports, Clarendon has been nominated for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. Yet, in the same breath that we celebrate the joy of gender euphoria for countless people challenging the gender binary, we must band together and fight the intentional harms caused to our transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming siblings. There is no federal law that classifies transgender people as a protected class, requiring protections from very real discrimination and the dangers it provokes. We are left to our own resources to maneuver...
Any Expansion Should Be by Measured Approach, WNBA History Reveals
By Tamryn Spruill On this day in WNBA history (June 7, 1999), the league announced its decision to expand the league to 16 teams for the 2000 season, adding the Indiana Fever, the Portland Fire, the Miami Sol and the Seattle Storm. The addition of the four teams exceeded the more modest expansion in 1998, which brought the Detroit Shock and the Washington Mystics into the league, and 1999, which added the Minnesota Lynx and the Orlando Miracle. Of the four teams added in 2000, only the Fever and Storm exist, but the conundrum of WNBA teams going defunct is not limited to those that came after the original eight. A review of the teams that have come and gone in the WNBA's 25-year history underscores the point. Of the WNBA's original eight teams, just three remain active today. And a total of eight teams that once existed no longer do. Active teams are presented in bold italics. 1997 WNBA teams EASTERN CONFERENCE Charlotte Sting (1997-2007) Cleveland Rockers (1997-2003) Houston...
2020 WNBA Jersey Sales Show Old Guard Is Finally Getting Its Due
By Tamryn Spruill Old guard WNBA players are finally get their due from mainstream media. But what about the younger class of women's basketball players not named Sabrina Ionescu? On Friday, the league announced before tipoff of Game 1 of the 2020 WNBA Finals that the orange WNBA logo hoodie in 2020 became the bestselling merchandise piece in the league’s history. The hoodie, popularized by the late Kobe Bryant, a fierce supporter of the league and a mentor to many of its players, is “the most popular item this season across official online retail partner Fanatics’ network of e-commerce sites, including WNBAStore.com,” according to a league statement. The signature item also has been embraced by NBA players like LeBron James and other celebrities. But when it comes to individual player jerseys, the old guard reigns supreme while younger players, with the exception of Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, float beneath the radar. Former No. 1 picks from recent years...