No surprise:
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is coming under criticism from the WNBA Players Association after writing a letter saying that the league should not go forward with a plan to put the names of Black victims of police violence on player jerseys.
In a letter to the WNBA commissioner, Loeffler, who faces a challenging reelection race this fall, wrote that there should be less politics in sports and the league should not go forward with its plan expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The truth is, we need less—not more politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote,” Loeffler wrote to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports.”
Loeffler has co-owned the Atlanta Dream, one of the WNBA's franchises, since 2011.
The WNBA has announced that players will wear warmup jerseys that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name,” a reference to Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Louisville EMT who was killed by police in her own home in March.
There’s more:
In the letter, Loeffler said she thought adding the American flag to jerseys and licensed apparel would be a "common-sense" solution.
"Though I was not consulted about -- nor do I agree with the League's decision in this matter, I am proposing a common-sense recommendation to ensure we reflect the values of freedom and equality for all," she wrote. "I believe we should put an American flag on every jersey. Include it in our licensed apparel for players, coaches and fans."
A number of current and former WNBA players have asked Engelbert to remove Loeffler as co-owner of the Dream, including Sheryl Swoopes, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Natasha Cloud, Alysha Clark and Sue Bird. Swoopes tweeted that the "WNBA MUST do better."
The WNBA Players Association also called for Loeffler's removal.
The WNBA issued a statement Tuesday saying, "The WNBA is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people and we, along with the teams and players, will continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not served as a Governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team."
More WNBA players continue to speak out against Loeffler:
Dream guard Renee Montgomery, one of the few Dream players to speak publicly about Loeffler, opted out of the 2020 season in order to focus on social justice. She tweeted Tuesday afternoon that Loeffler's letter was an example of why she chose to sit out and called for a conversation with Loeffler.
Tuesday's letter only intensified calls from WNBA players to remove Loeffler as the Dream's owner.
A Republican Senator from Georgia, Loeffler recently appeared on Fox News calling armed Black protesters in Atlanta "mob rule," despite her support of the Second Amendment. (Open carry is legal in Georgia.)
She also posted a message on Twitter in support of the anti-LGBT group Family Project Alliance of Georgia, saying that transgender athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls' and women's sports.
After the "mob rule" comment, former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Sheryl Swoopes tweeted the "WNBA MUST do better" on June 26.
Meanwhile, Rev. Raphael Warnock’s (D. GA) campaign raked in a big Q2 haul:
Democrat Raphael Warnock will report raising more than $2.85 million over the last three months in his campaign to oust U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a growing warchest he’ll use to try to edge out rivals in the November special election.
Warnock, the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has now collected at least $4.3 million since entering the race against Loeffler in January. The contest is a 21-candidate special election in November with no party primary to hash out nominees.
A first-time candidate, Warnock has raced to consolidate support from fellow Democrats with the help of Stacey Abrams, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other powerful state and federal party figures.
Two other prominent Democrats are also in the November free-for-all: Matt Lieberman, an entrepreneur who is the son of former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman; and Ed Tarver, a former state senator and ex-federal prosecutor in east Georgia.
And he picked up a big endorsement:
We need to keep up the momentum to flip Georgia Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Joe Biden and their fellow Georgia Democrats campaigns:
Jon Ossoff
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