Senator Kelly Loeffler told the WNBA 'to remove politics from sports' while using women's basketball as a political stance in her hotly-contested special election
The US Senator and Atlanta Dream stakeholder came under fire on Tuesday after she penned a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert opposing the league's plan for players to wear "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name" warm-ups prior to games this season.
Loeffler — an outspoken Republican who has closely aligned herself with President Donald Trump — is in the midst of a hotly-contested special election. The 49-year-old was appointed to succeed incumbent Senator Johnny Isakson at the beginning of 2020 after he resigned due to health complications. She is now running to remain in Isakson's seat for the remainder of his term, but she's facing challenges from both sides of the aisle.
"Now that she's pretending to be a conservative to run for public office, she should explain her silence and divest herself of this team and her past progressive advocacy," he added.Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, women's basketball's biggest stars were quick to express their vehement disapproval of the senator's letter.
In an interview with ABC News Live Tuesday evening, former Atlanta Dream star Layshia Clarendon — who currently plays for the New York Liberty — said that "what we see so often with sports, with culture, with music is that you're OK with Black people as long as they kind of stay in their place or they're performing or they're sports stars."
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