The WNBA has been at the center of a lot more attention than it’s used to, mostly due to it unwillingly becoming an epicenter for political discourse. But WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart would rather the games be politics-free.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday morning ahead of today’s game against the Indiana Fever, Stewart said that she appreciates how much inclusivity the WNBA has and wants the league to continue being a “safe space” for fans who don’t feel welcome elsewhere.
“The inclusivity [of the league] is the big thing for me,” Stewart said, via the New York Post. “I don’t want to turn anyone away at the door because that’s not right either. But I know for a fact that people have safe space here when they come to these games, and that’s something that… is really precious, and you have to hold on to and make sure that doesn’t change.”
Stewart asserted that the rallies and political “stunts” that people are pulling just shows how big the WNBA has become. She expressed hope that the game itself at the Barclays Center could be a “safe space” for fans.
“Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have,” Stewart said. “I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space.”
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The Tug Of War
The WNBA has recently become the epicenter of a discussion involving transgender athletes in sports following comments that Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham made last month.
Opponents of transgender athletes have lifted up Cunningham as a symbol of their belief and held rallies in support of her. Counter-rallies have been held in an effort to continue hoisting up the WNBA as the most inclusive league in the United States.
