{"id":1433867,"date":"2022-04-12T17:44:47","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T21:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1433867"},"modified":"2022-04-12T17:44:59","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T21:44:59","slug":"when-is-it-not-wnba-players-association-president-suggests-lack-of-attention-around-brittney-griners-detainment-a-gender-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-is-it-not-wnba-players-association-president-suggests-lack-of-attention-around-brittney-griners-detainment-a-gender-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018When Is It Not?\u2019: WNBA Players Association President Suggests Lack Of Attention Around Brittney Griner\u2019s Detainment A \u2018Gender Issue\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhen-is-it-not-wnba-players-association-president-suggests-lack-of-attention-around-brittney-griners-detainment-a-gender-issue%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1433867&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1345591150.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.3.0\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since some time in February after Russian Federal Customs Service officials say they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil after searching her luggage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The timing of the arrest came at a terrible time for Griner, coinciding with Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Surprisingly, Griner\u2019s detainment has not been front-page news, with WNBA great Lisa Leslie saying in March that she was told not to make a \u201c<\/span><span>big fuss\u201d over Griner\u2019s arrest lest Griner be used as a pawn by Russia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhat we were told, and again this is all sort of passed along through hearsay, but what we were told was to not make a big fuss about it so that they could not use her as a pawn, so to speak, in this situation in the war,\u201d Leslie <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/03\/25\/sport\/lisa-leslie-brittney-griner-spt\/index.html\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cSo, to make it like it\u2019s not that important or don\u2019t make it where we\u2019re like, \u2018Free Brittney\u2019 and we start this campaign, and then it becomes something that they can use.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But members of the WNBA are beginning to speak out on Griner\u2019s detainment, with <\/span><span>WNBA Players Association President and current member of the LA Sparks<\/span> <span>Nneka Ogwumike joining ABC\u2019s \u201cGood Morning America\u201d on Tuesday to bring attention to the situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cBG [Brittney Griner] is us. We are BG,\u201d <\/span><span>Ogwumike said.<\/span><span>\u00a0\u201cThat could have been us. We\u2019re really most concerned about her health and safety. Especially her mental health. We\u2019re hearing, in that respect, she\u2019s ok. But we want her home.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cGiven the nature of Brittney\u2019s situation, when it happened, it was very important for us to be intentional about doing the best thing to ensure that we don\u2019t compromise her coming home,\u201d <\/span><span>Ogwumike continued.<\/span><span> \u201cSo, a lot of that had to do with educating ourselves about the details about what was going on, as much as we could know, but then understanding how important it was for us to be strategic about when and how we speak about her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ogwumike was asked whether the lack of publicity around Griner\u2019s detainment was a \u201cgender issue,\u201d to which Ogwumike stated that the only reason Griner was in Russia was because of her gender, as many WNBA players play overseas during the offseason in order to make additional money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen is it not? You advocate for us in so many respects,\u201d <\/span><span>Ogwumike said.<\/span><span> \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that the question of it being a gender issue is top of mind now when it comes to this type of circumstance. But the reality is that she\u2019s over there because of a gender issue. Pay inequity. I played in Russia for four years, I played in Poland for one year, I played in China for two years. We go over there to supplement our incomes. And quite frankly, we go over there to maintain our game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">EXCLUSIVE: WNBA Players Association President <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nnekaogwumike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nnekaogwumike<\/a> speaks to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GMA<\/a> about efforts to bring Brittney Griner home from Russia.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ldTRCw6tzC\">https:\/\/t.co\/ldTRCw6tzC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Good Morning America (@GMA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GMA\/status\/1513850861893603334?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>It\u2019s the same sentiment expressed by <\/span><span>Aron Solomon, chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital, who spoke with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/shes-a-political-prisoner-wnbas-brittney-griner-remains-in-russia\">The Daily Wire<\/a> in March.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think that while Russia really sees her as being somebody great to take as a political prisoner, the reality is this is indicative of how a lot of people in the United States see women\u2019s sport,\u201d Solomon told The Daily Wire. \u201cAnd of course, people might be thinking, \u2018Why was Brittney Griner in Russia in the first place?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s because she can\u2019t earn the kind of living in the WNBA that our athletes should want to live,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd there\u2019s one great quote from about five years ago from Diana Taurasi, who\u2019s actually a teammate of Brittney Griner\u2019s for UMMC Ekaterinburg. She said \u2026 \u2018We had to go to a communist country to get paid like capitalists.\u2019 Which is so backwards to everything that was in the history books in sixth grade.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Monday, WNBA commissioner <\/span><span>Cathy Engelbert said the league is \u201ctrying everything\u201d they can to assist in her release.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in,\u201d Engelbert <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wnba\/story\/_\/id\/33720397\/as-brittney-griner-detention-continues-star-center-continues-our-full-support-wnba-cathy-engelbert-says-draft\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cShe continues to have our full support. Certainly, we\u2019re trying everything we can, every angle, working with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration. Just everybody in our ecosystem to try and find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Become a member now and join our mission<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since some time in February after Russian Federal Customs Service officials say they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil after searching<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1433867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1433867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1433867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1433867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1433867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}