NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson Brittney Griner has made her WNBA season debut for the Phoenix Mercury. While it was a joyous occasion to see her back in her element after the ordeal she faced while in Russia, it wasn’t her play on the court that grabbed attention. Griner, a key voice in the Black Lives Matter protest, has not stood for the National Anthem since 2020. However, in her first game back, she decided to do so. Why?
Well, for some, that reason is pretty simple. She now understands just how important the National Anthem is and what it means to Americans. I mean, that could be a reason. And since her country did rescue (trade) her to be released from a Russian prison, maybe she feels some obligation. Or, just maybe that was part of the deal?
Where not here to say that President Biden and the other powers that be made a deal with her but it does make a lot of sense when you think about it.
I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season,” Griner said. “I think we should take that much of a stand. “I don’t mean that in any disrespect to our country. My dad was in Vietnam and a law officer for 30 years. I wanted to be a cop before basketball. I do have pride for my country.
Griner has always understood what the Anthem and the Flag stood for. Much the same with anyone else who was protesting, it was never about disrespecting America. It was standing for what was wrong in our country. But since she was detained (let’s call it kidnapped) by Russia, many felt that Griner would owe a debt to the country for what they did to get her out.
Why Did Brittney Griner Stand For National Anthem
This is all political and we all know they don’t play fair in Washington D.C. Everything for them is about optics. So, getting Griner released and back home so she could be with her family and team was just the baking of the cake. But here goes the icing. Maybe she was told, as a central figure in the non-standing of the National Anthem, that she must stand and pledge her allegiance (Pun Intended).
I wonder if Brittney Griner stands or takes a knee for the Russian national anthem every morning in her jail cell…— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 6, 2022
In all fairness, they could have left her over there. But does that mean she owes them anything? This is what Griner had to say following her first game back and why she decided to stand for the National Anthem.
One thing that’s good about this country is our right to protest,” Griner said after the game when I asked her about the issue. “You have a right to be able to speak out, question, to challenge, and do all these things. [After] what I went through, it just means a little bit more to me now. I was literally in a cage and could not stand the way I wanted to … and a lot of other situations. Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely wanted to stand.
These could be her words or the words of someone else. But sitting in a cold cell in another country brings a different perspective to things. But in that time, America still hasn’t changed. Young black men are still being killed and she is still black herself.
In politics, it’s always a you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours catch. What better way to get others to comply than getting one of the leaders to turn direction on a sensitive subject that was bringing negativity in the eyes of the media? It’s a game within a game but one that’s never played like a game. Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
