Unrivaled founder’s strong political statement about ICE reflects WNBA’s history

Unrivaled cofounder and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart took a strong stance against ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that has been gaining international attention for their actions in Minnesota throughout the month of January. As Stewart walked out ahead of a game Saturday, she carried a sign that read, “Abolish ICE.”

Stewart’s decision to make her feelings about the agency and its actions in Minnesota clear is likely due to the shooting death of VA nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot by agents in Minneapolis Saturday morning. Pretti’s death was the second to come at the hands of ICE agents; Renee Good was shot to death in early January.

Though Unrivaled is only its second year of play, the league is inherently political: there’s something to be said for two women who already have successful basketball careers starting their own league and raising the standards for how they and their colleagues should be treated. Unrivaled provides state-of-the-art facilities and training to each player on each team.

The WNBA has a long history of activism

The players in Unrivaled also hail from a decades-long background that includes a long history of activism and progressive politics. For example, the players of the WNBA were instrumental in the election of Senator Raphael Warnock, who beat former Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler in 2020.

Loeffler came under fire after she sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert criticizing the league’s support of Black Lives Matter. “The statement ‘Black lives matter’ is very different than the organization Black Lives Matter,” Loeffler also told ESPN in July 2021. “I think we all agree the life of every African American is important.”

Players in the league began to openly campaign for Warnock, and even wore shirts that read, “Vote Warnock” while playing in the WNBA bubble in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league is also embroiled in its own labor fight right now, as negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) have blown past multiple extension deadlines. Players are advocating for a larger portion of revenue sharing, higher salaries, and a list of increased benefits.

Players in the league have also joined together to combat racism and sexism throughout the years. In 2016, several players were fined after they wore black warm-up suits to protest police killings of Black women and men. Those kinds of actions aren’t too difficult for players to take, and they have a huge impact on the league, and on fans who appreciate these kinds of actions from the athletes they support.