With the WNBA’s sudden focus on “racist” fans in the news this week, former national anthem protester Brittney Griner is now claiming that she has suffered racist taunts at games in the past.
On Wednesday, following Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs, the league released a statement accusing fans of being “racist,” “derogatory,” and “threatening.” The league further warned that it would call the police on those who it thought had violated this decorum.
Now Griner, who spent years refusing to stand in honor of our flag, our country, and our national anthem, is suddenly claiming that she has faced “racist slurs” at games.
“I don’t appreciate the new fans that sit there and yell racial slurs at myself, my teammates, and the people that I play against because, yeah, those might be opponents, but those are friends too,” she told the media.
“They don’t deserve that. So, I don’t appreciate the new fans who think it’s okay to do that. But I do appreciate the new fans that respect the game. That are here to grow our league. Bringing people that maybe never watched the W to a WNBA game so that we can grow our fans,” Griner said.
The accusation that Griner has suffered racial slurs at WNBA games is shocking, but perhaps even more shocking is that no one has said anything about such slurs until now.
How long has Griner been suffering these “racist fans”? And is there video or reports of the slurs she says have been yelled her way?
One would think that if Griner had faced racial slurs, this would be big, big news. And with as many cameras, referees, and security personnel — not to mention cellphone cameras in the crowd — one would think there would be video or audio of these incidents.
This is a very harsh and explosive accusation. It would seem to require a high level of proof that it occurred, not just a casual statement after the fact.
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