Editor’s note: Richard Lapchick is a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, expert on sports issues, scholar and author.
Brittney Griner’s return from Russia may be the best sports news story of the year. To see her behind bars in Russia, used as a pawn through the continuing decline in relations between the U.S. and Russia, was disheartening. It is good to see her home safe.
Whether she eventually returns to play for the Phoenix Mercury, Griner will forever be part of a WNBA family that loved and supported her throughout her 294 days in Russian captivity. The WNBA and its players continue to set the standard for how professional leagues should operate — using their platform to raise awareness of social issues, using their voices to press for equality and amplifying the voices of the underrepresented.
Much of that work has been supported through the league’s longstanding history of racial and gender hiring practices. According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), the WNBA has held the top position in the racial and gender report cards since its inaugural season. This year, the WNBA received a combined grade of an A with an A+ for race and an A for gender, according to the 2022 WNBA racial and gender report card released Wednesday by TIDES at…
