Basketball New York Liberty Players Among Those Fined By WNBA For Support of #BlackLivesMatter by Staff Post July 22, 2016 (Photo by Karen King – Double G Media) Congratulations to the WNBA. You are now just like the NBA. The message sent to those who watch women’s professional sports is that free expression is not to be tolerated. It is to be punished. The New York Liberty are made up of a collection of athletes who have always been involved intimately with their community, collectively or individually. They are the heartbeat of the city as much as any professional team. So it’s quite an irony that the New York Liberty, who is celebrating their 20th anniversary, can support just about any cause from the Orlando shootings to LGBT rights. But as soon as they make a unified statement in response to a repetitive wrong in this country, they are slapped on the wrist with force, and fined. By the way, the $500 fine per player is quite hefty for the average WNBA player, who hustle for their dollars. All because, New York, along with Indiana and Phoenix were found guilty of expressing through wearing black t-shirts their response to the police shootings of black men in several locations of the United States. There are many ways to protest and the Liberty took the least resistant way. But words and symbols are powerful. Powerful enough to get the Liberty, who have played the most exciting ball the past two years but cannot command a full-page spread in major media papers unless they do something the WNBA did not personally approve. That is a plain example of inequality. Carmelo Anthony can sound the bugle call of athletes and be commended for it. He is on record as saying that there is “no reason” they should have been fined. Which is fine, but the Liberty’s best player, who makes roughly one-tenth the money Anthony makes is actually holding her ground. Tina Charles, won the Player of the Month award, has continued to protest by wearing her shirt inside-out, something she intends to continue until the league supports one of their top stars. “It’s about continuing to raise awareness,” Charles explained. “I have no problem wearing this shirt inside-out for the rest of the season until we’re able to have the WNBA’s support.” So, in the final week of the pre-Olympic schedule, the Liberty close out this phase in first place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-8 after dropping their final game to Indiana 82-70. Charles scored 25 points and grabbed 13 boards in the loss. But does that interest the media at all? When Tina Charles plays for the Olympic team, will they focus on her game alone and edit out what really counts? A champion is not solely defined by what happens in a game as much as how they conduct themselves in life. The New York Liberty have always conducted themselves with class, even if the powers that be confuse the definition sometimes. Post Views: 1,537 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsCarmelo AnthonyNew York Libertytina charlesWNBA Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 More in Basketball You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 97: SNY’s Michelle Margaux (Audio/Video) On the 97th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined SNY’s... WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season The WNBA’s 25th season also marks the debut of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. For Long Island’s Crystal Dunn, A Year Makes a Big Difference NBA Takes Stand For LGBT and Pulls All-Star Game From Charlotte