After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, woke organizations naturally decided to come out in favor of abortion. This included a joint statement from the NBA and WNBA.
“The NBA and WNBA believe that women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their health and future, and we believe that freedom should be protected,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement on Twitter. “We will continue to advocate for gender and health equity, including ensuring our employees have access to reproductive health care, regardless of their location.”
These leagues have spat in the faces of every pro-life American.
The NBA did not need to put out a statement on this subject. It went out of its way to address perhaps the most divisive political issue this country faces.
Notice the other three major professional sports leagues issued no statements about this topic. Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League stayed silent. There is no reason for a professional sports league to talk about abortion. These leagues have fans on both sides of divisive political issues.
The situation is different for the WNBA, which doesn’t have many fans (let alone conservatives). However, the NBA has a large audience and teams across the country. And pro-lifers exist in blue states. I went to a Boston Celtics game last season but cannot imagine giving the league one cent again — let alone going out of my way to watch a game on television.
The NBA has been woke in the past, but this is unforgivable.
The NBA has allowed social justice messaging on jerseys and said systemic racism exists worldwide. “One year ago, the killing of George Floyd advanced a global reckoning around systemic racism and inspired a movement for social justice,” the league wrote in a statement last year. “Today and every day, members of the NBA family stand united in working for change and a future that provides true equality.”
And yet, the league never had the guts to address the immense problems in China, such as the Uyghur genocide. Instead, Silver defended the league’s relationship with China earlier this month.
“I think engagement is positive, particularly through sports,” Silver told reporters at a news conference. “Using sports as a platform to keep people around the world talking is critically important. At the same time, I don’t think it’s inconsistent with our values for our game to be broadcast in China and 200-plus other countries in the world.”
It’s sad but not surprising. The NBA gives us good reason to boycott the league and to want to put it out of business. There are a lot of pro-lifers in the country. If we collectively act, we can make big companies regret their mistakes. Maybe if the NBA had a drop in its following, it might stop addressing divisive political issues.
* Article from: The Washington Examiner
