When Brittney Griner was freed from Russian captivity three days ago, the basketball world rejoiced.
The U.S. government traded the WNBA star for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap that concluded months of tedious talks between the two countries. Griner, convicted in August of possessing a small amount of hashish oil and a vape cartridge, had been sentenced to serve almost a decade in a Russian penal colony.
But though the trade was hailed in sports circles as a victory, others decried it. President Joe Biden was ridiculed as making the U.S. look “weak” by taking Griner, and he was criticized for not holding out for American hostage Paul Whelan to also be included in the deal.
Many of the critics were legislators, who also took aim at Griner’s identity: a Black, queer woman who had joined her Phoenix Mercury teammates in not being in the arena during the national anthem, beginning after the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.
And though the rhetoric itself is unfortunate, the fact that there was blow back in Griner’s case is ultimately an encouraging sign.
Let’s first acknowledge how monumental the trade was for the Olympian and All-Star: this was the first time a woman…
