General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Isn't Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country? (Russia)
WNBA start and gold medal winner, Birttney Griner.
It is unclear how directly Griners plight connects to the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her detention has been overshadowed by the death and destruction wrought by Putin. And part of the muted response is likely due to sensitivity of the negotiations between Russian and American officials. Griners wife asked for privacy on Instagram, and its clear the precariousness of the situation has led to a certain institutional resistance to even mentioning it: That WNBA.com doesnt include a single story about one of the organizations best players being detained speaks to this dynamic. It is also worth remembering, as ESPNs T.J. Quinn did on Monday, that Griner, whatever the specifics, is likely in some danger; Quinn noted that as a 6-9 Black gay American woman, shes a powerful cultural symbol, and even in the best case, shes in for a long legal slog in the Russian criminal justice system. And theres little the US govt can do about it.
Another motive the WNBA may have for staying quiet is its own culpability in the situation. The reason Griner was in Russia in the first place to play off-season basketball, as she has done there for years is that the league does not pay its superstars the way other sports leagues do. As Tom Ley from Defector pointed out:
The leagues low salaries and minimal efforts towards player support have for years forced even its biggest stars to treat their time in the WNBA as a part-time job. The maximum WNBA salary in 2022 was just over $228,000, and players can make far more than that playing in leagues overseas. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million to skip the WNBA season entirely and play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Liz Cambage recently revealed that she has made five to eight times as much money playing overseas than she has in the WNBA.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/why-isnt-brittney-griner-the-biggest-sports-story.html
Dan
(3,579 posts)Is that some report indicated that they found traces of a drug during a search? I dont know the validity of that, but I do know from my time overseas - that some foreign governments have a zero tolerance when it comes to drugs.
Abnredleg
(670 posts)Response to Abnredleg (Reply #4)
Dan This message was self-deleted by its author.
Is that an illegal drug?
Mariana
(14,860 posts)LisaL
(44,974 posts)NT
Bev54
(10,072 posts)Dan
(3,579 posts)LisaL
(44,974 posts)Not cbd.
"Russian customs officials said a U.S. basketball player had vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. A Russian news agency identified the player as Griner."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/sports/basketball/russia-brittney-griner.html
Bev54
(10,072 posts)experience (7 years in Russia) living in Russia would be stupid enough to take hashish oil. Doesn't make any sense to me, is that the Russian version?
LisaL
(44,974 posts)NT
BlueLucy
(1,609 posts)I don't know of anyone who vapes cbd but I suppose it's possible. I saw this video here and it looks like several packages.
Bev54
(10,072 posts)video.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)NT
Bev54
(10,072 posts)Treefrog
(4,170 posts)I only saw CBD mentioned here.
elias7
(4,026 posts)Mariana
(14,860 posts)I'm not saying I think she's guilty, but it's far from impossible. Plenty of people are that stupid.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)This is a power play on Russia's part.
cinematicdiversions
(1,969 posts)And before people cry racism or sexism, I assure you if say one of the Williams sisters was being held in Russia it is all we would hear about 24/7
Being in the WNBA is akin to a witness protection program.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)And they know her. Women's sports aren't trash, and their players aren't insignificant. They matter. People who watch the Olympics basketball games also know her.
And what if this were a regular US citizen would no notoriety? Would you still be so sanguine about their being held by the Russian government? Or do only the widely famous count?
cinematicdiversions
(1,969 posts)What I said was in response to the question.
I have no doubt there is a core group of fans for the sport. But in reality, that does not mean the players are household names. (In all fairness, the vast majority of men's basketball players are not household names either)
Again, read the question and my response. No judgement. I am simply answering why the story is not "bigger".
iemanja
(53,066 posts)But I know her from the Olympics. It's hard for me to imagine that I know who she is and sports fans don't.
leftieNanner
(15,149 posts)But we follow women's basketball. Our two daughters played.
I think it was incredibly stupid of her to take CBD vapes into Russia. Or anywhere overseas for that matter.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,431 posts)Bev54
(10,072 posts)understand they may have a trace of thc but it is usually very very minor and you certainly are not going to get high from it.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)that Russia is holding her in a power play.
BlueLucy
(1,609 posts)Probably a set up. Can't trust Russia.
elias7
(4,026 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,431 posts)cinematicdiversions
(1,969 posts)But honestly, out of context, how many people would recognize her or even have heard her name before this incident?
Deep State Witch
(10,457 posts)It was incredibly stupid of her. However, I've heard too many stories of the FSB/KGB planting drugs on foreigners to be skeptical.
Reader Rabbit
(2,624 posts)Honestly, this says as much about the U.S. as it does about Russia.
Retrograde
(10,156 posts)and in general doesn't come across like a sweet young blonde.
I know little about her, but given Putin's past actions I'm inclined to believe she was set up and unfortunately is going to be used for propaganda purposes.
a kennedy
(29,706 posts)uponit7771
(90,364 posts)TheGallopingDingDong
(2 posts)That should tell you everything.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)just to inform us how unimportant the WNBA is?
Response to iemanja (Reply #24)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Celerity
(43,499 posts)GP6971
(31,205 posts)for all women's sports?
NewHendoLib
(60,019 posts)obamanut2012
(26,137 posts)You created an account for this sexist shit? Get an actual hobby.
Takket
(21,625 posts)The "WNBA doesn't play its players enough" is a pretty absurd argument the article makes though. The WNBA loses money on an annual basis. If anything the players are overpaid. The NBA subsidizes it with its revenue to keep the WBNA afloat.
Can't speak for every country but Russian oligarchs basically run their women's league at a massive loss because they want to, and have money to burn. it is a sort of "bragging rights" thing for billionaire friends to try and win championships from each other. The players are being paid to amuse them, not because the game is making a huge profit.
This article explains it very well:
https://news.yahoo.com/brittney-griners-russian-team-owned-135920004.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN4DFgoG3JZe-Up5Kn4LyBvuR0eBwcuUqpyBxUsE2erw4zMWe79ijgHPNo_yeRcfySpFl48yzt34OmQbuoPi-PI5c9tJlvWSSTxhppAJXcvkxTGKcpmsw7Z2ul-nnX6ATNdw4jmHPHZgvzu7FbiCjgnwxiVSO0-ADyePmVozmS1S
"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rampant male chauvinism that was part of that culture came roaring back," he added.
Makhmudov who is considered a Russian oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin "absolutely" could be employing that same strategy to win over business leaders across Europe and the West, Edelman confirmed.
Malamud, meanwhile, thinks Makhmudov's investment in women's basketball may have more of a local focus. Buying UMMC Ekateringburg and turning it into a women's basketball juggernaut may have been the Uzbek-born Russian businessman's attempt "to endear himself to the population" of Russia's fourth-largest city.
"The entire roster's salaries are probably pocket change to him," Malamud said of Makhmudov. "I mean, even if [the people] don't really care about women basketball, the fact that their team won six EuroLeague titles is something that they're proud of."
Hekate
(90,793 posts)And, in case you guys havent thought of this yet: Im pretty sure she was set up and that stuff was put in her luggage by someone else.
It completely sucks but what can be negotiated when we are doing everything in our power to isolate Russia from the world and make it implode? It is terrible timing.
DET
(1,324 posts)I had no idea who this person was until her recent detainment. Personally, I dont think that sports stars should be treated differently from anyone else who is dumb enough to bring an illegal substance into a zero tolerance dictatorship, especially during a time of potential world war. I guess that its possible that she was set up, but I havent seen any evidence to that effect. I have no doubt that Russia will try to use this woman as a bargaining chip, but I hope that our country's rabid sports fanaticism doesnt override common sense and make this an international issue. There are much bigger issues at stake.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)You don't care about this black, lesbian woman either.
Im sorry, but your reply makes no sense. Your original focus was on the fact that this woman is a sports star. Now youve changed your focus to the fact that shes a black lesbian. I dont care if shes a purple trisexual Olympic skater. I also wouldnt care if it was it was Tom Brady; it just doesnt matter. Were on the brink of WW3. There are thousands of Ukrainians being killed as we speak; one privileged American should not dominate the discussion or influence foreign policy.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)and a lesbian affects the media's interest in the story? The headline, by the way, is the author of the article's, not my own creation. And it says the biggest "SPORTS story," not news story.
Your post, however, was "who cares," indicating that you didn't care. As you repeated again, you simply don't care about her or any other American caught in Russian custody. I fail to see what was inaccurate about my point, since you just confirmed it.
Additionally, most people can hold concern for more than one person or group of people in their minds at a single time. I myself happen to care about both Ukrainians and this woman caught in what may be a Russian gulag. Your claim that she doesn't matter because of Ukrainians may make sense for you, but not for me.
Funny how you cared enough to spend two posts telling us how much you don't care, and how we shouldn't either.
ecstatic
(32,731 posts)Russians understand how Black Americans are treated in this country so they know they can get away with doing anything without much pushback. Smh
obamanut2012
(26,137 posts)It's just that it's not a "DU thing," so it's not here.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)but that's just me. I'm not sure why the author says it's under noticed.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)It just so happens other things are even bigger news.
Funny how when an American company continues business in Russia right now (and i think such decisions are foolish) they are roundly castigated here. Rightfully so.
But, a player goes there for the money & she's a martyr.
Her motivation is the same as Amway. I approve of neithet doing business in Russia right now.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)Corporations exploit workers and situations to extract wealth. A basketball player is usually from a poor background and is trying to make money for themselves, not exploiting others. It's not a parallel.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)Save your speech for the proletariat for someone else. Every corporation is not inherently evil.
They're both chasing money. Perfectly parallel.
Her background has nothing to do with it.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)greatly. Let's leave it at that.
Treefrog
(4,170 posts)Far from it.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)And women in the WNBA are paid a small fraction of what men are. That is why they go to foreign countries to play.
Treefrog
(4,170 posts)Thats not counting the money she earns overseas.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)and tell me that it's equitable. Also, consider how short a basketball player's career is.
Treefrog
(4,170 posts)I said she wasnt poor..
Shes not.
iemanja
(53,066 posts)I said that many basketball players grow up poor.
gulliver
(13,193 posts)She's black and a lesbian, so she's a perfect punching bag for Putinism and the yahoos who control the Republican Party. I seriously doubt the Russians caught her with anything they didn't plant.
maxsolomon
(33,400 posts)I know who she is; I've known since she was in college, and IDGAF about basketball in general.
She's not in Russian prison because she's black, gay, or tattooed. She's there because she is a famous American and Russia needs bargaining chips.