Earlier this week the women of the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury were fined for altering their uniforms in support of non-violence following the recent shootings.
The ladies wore all black t-shirts, and although the league thought they were sending a great message, the ladies and their teams were still fined due to the rules prohibiting the players from altering their uniforms.
According to ESPN, the league has since withdrawn the $5,000 fines from all three teams and the $500 penalties from each individual player.
WNBA president, Lisa Borders said, “While we expect players to comply with league rules and uniform guidelines, we also understand their desire to use their platform to address important societal issues.
She continued to say that the league would suspend playing until August 26th, due to the Olympics. Therefore, they would like to take that time to work with the ladies and their unions to come up with ways to make their views more known to the public and fans.
Fever All-Star, Tamika Catchings, the president of the players union said, “It’s huge win overall. I think more than anything I told [Borders] at times you’re going to agree to disagree. With this, I’m really proud of the players standing strong and for utilizing their voices. Change starts with us. We have a social responsibility as well.”
Congratulations ladies for using your platform for a positive change and standing your ground.
Source: http://espn.go.com/wnba/story/_/id/17131967/wnba-withdraws-fines-regarding-anti-violence-shirts
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