CHICAGO — The WNBA All-Stars will not play with America-themed patches on their jerseys as part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
“No, they’re not on the jerseys,” New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart said Friday at a post-practice media availability at the Obama Presidential Center.
Advertisement
The news comes after a June report from Sportico said the WNBA planned to have its biggest stars wear USA 250 patches during Saturday’s All-Star Game at the United Center (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC/Disney+).
Women’s National Basketball Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike, a forward for the L.A. Sparks, said Friday the report prompted the union to discuss the patches with league leadership.
“As players, we did ask about it,” Ogwumike said. “I think being in a league where you’re able to have that type of conversation with your leadership is important. You’re not always in a position to be able to question certain things, and our players own the fact that we have a level of autonomy.
“We also have individuals and communities that we represent, and we also understand our mission statement and what we stand for, especially from a union perspective.”
Advertisement
Stewart, the WNBPA vice president, said her focus has been on “really just making sure that I’m able to control what I can control and stand on the side I believe in.”
Multiple professional sports or entertainment entities have worn patches or emblems to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial, including at the Super Bowl, Wrestlemania 42, NBA Finals and MLB All-Star Game earlier this month, among many others. The patches were in partnership with the nationally nonpartisan and congressionally backed America250 organization, with celebrations and events happening throughout the year. America250 is separate from the President Donald Trump‘s Freedom 250 initiative, which has received intense scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers as it celebrates the nation’s independence.
No WNBA player has publicly said they refused to wear the USA 250 patches, although some fans on social media condemned them as an endorsement of the Trump administration and its stance on reproductive and transgender rights.
“As a league, your representation of everyone in the league is really important,” Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. ” You’re certainly not gonna please everyone. As we know, politics, it’s a viewpoint. We all have different viewpoints. It is the 250th year of our country. It is a large celebration. I think the undertones are always going to be there, but this is a height of time. We’re in league that’s always taken on issues. That’s not going to change. And I don’t think it should change. But I think the league has to lead with the idea of everyone in mind. And I think that can be a really difficult balancing act.”
Advertisement
Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner, treasurer of the WNBPA, criticized the idea of wearing patches during the All-Star Game after the Sportico report published in June. She said the idea must not have been fully thought through in a league consisting of nearly 70% Black women.
“No WNBA players would have been free 250 years ago,” Turner wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on June 4. “The majority wouldn’t even have their freedom 100 years ago.”
The comments received national backlash, and afterward Turner told USA TODAY in June she still believes celebrating the country’s progress is important.
“I’m obviously so thankful about everything in this country,” Turner said. “And maybe one day we will have true equality for everybody. We’re not there yet.”
Advertisement
As a leader of the union, Ogwumike encourages statement’s like Turner’s.
“As long as we can use our voice and also speak and name things that need to be addressed, that’s the most that we can do,” Ogwumike said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: WNBA All-Stars not wearing USA 250 patches on uniforms: ‘Difficult balancing act’
