Tag: Brittney Griner

The Biden administration has determined …

The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department said Tuesday. “The U.S. government will continue to undertake efforts to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner,” the department said.

U.S. officials have shifted supervision …

U.S. officials have shifted supervision of her case to a State Department section — the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs — that is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries. A consular officer did visit in March. “Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” said Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas.

Jeff Zillgitt: Brittney Griner’s …

It is time for the U.S. to take action and get Brittney Griner home

She’s in more danger because of all the things she stands for.

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Women’s basketball superstar Brittney Griner is still detained in Russia, where she was arrested at an airport two months ago for allegedly carrying cannabis oil in her luggage.

New details of her situation reported this week by the Associated Press make it clear how dire the situation is. Russia’s justice system is mysterious even during normal times, and more so when the country is waging an unprovoked war against Ukraine that threatens to entangle countries like, say, the U.S.

Also, Griner is gay and Russian authorities have grown increasingly antagonistic toward the LGBTQ community.  She is Black in a country where Vladimir Putin has attempted to stoke nationalism and fear of outsiders.

She is not just another prisoner. She’s much more likely to be used as a political pawn and to be treated unfairly because of all she represents at this moment.

Perhaps that is why the U.S. has appeared to take a restrained approach to her case. Officials are in a difficult spot:

Griner is easily the most prominent American citizen known to be jailed by a foreign government, but in many ways her case isn’t unusual. Americans are frequently arrested overseas on drug and other charges and U.S. authorities are limited about what they can say or the help they can offer. The State Department generally can’t do much to help beyond consular visits and helping the American get an attorney. It also can’t say much unless the person arrested waives privacy rights, which Griner hasn’t fully done.

However, the AP report also mentions that so far the State Department’s stance on Griner has had a “more restrained posture than the Biden administration has taken with two other Americans jailed in Russia.”

Those officials are in better position to know the intricacies of the situation right now, but this way of handling it raises a lot of pressing questions. Like: Would it be playing out like this if the star athlete in question was a man?

Almost certainly not.

And, more to the point: Why play by the rules with a country that is currently breaking so many of them?

According to the AP, U.S. officials have yet to escalate Griner’s case in part because they have yet to determine she is being unjustly held. Sticking with that established protocol, at this moment, appears unwise. Griner’s situation is precarious for reasons that go far beyond the alleged offense, and should be treated differently.

Peter Maggs, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law who is an expert on the Russian legal system, put it this way:

“Russians are great chess players,. The more pawns you have, the greater your chance of eventual victory. And since things are not going their way, obviously, in Ukraine, any pawns they have they want to hold onto.”

As tempting as it is to continue the chess metaphor here, the ultimate truth is this: It’s time for the U.S. to make clear, in public, that Griner’s immediate and safe return is a priority.

Quick hits: Nobody is watching the A’s… Aaron Boone angers Tigers fans… Trey Mancini was livid… And more!
— You’ll see more fans at many high school football games than the latest Oakland A’s home game. So sad.

— The Yankees walked Miguel Cabrera while he was stuck on 2,999 career hits and Detroit fans were understandably dismayed.

— This is a very bad and dumb call against the Orioles here (imagine picking on the poor Orioles; come on ump). Am I still going to use this play to explain to my Little League team why they need to turn toward foul territory? Yeah, probably. Life is complicated, friends.

— The transfer portal has made college basketball even more fascinating, in my opinion. These are the best players currently available, per our Bryan Kalbrosky.

Negotiating quietly is the best way to get Brittney Griner home, law experts say

With Russia’s record on human rights, law experts say campaigning quietly for Brittney Griner’s release is the best strategy to bring her back to the U.S. safely.

With Russia’s record on human rights, law experts say campaigning quietly for Brittney Griner’s release is the best strategy to bring her back to the U.S. safely.

Q&A: Candace Parker talks about her new Title IX documentary, parenthood and equity in sports

Candace Parker’s new documentary debuts the weekend of the men’s Final Four.

Sometimes, one dream leads to another. And sometimes those new dreams are built on the backs of those who came before them.

That’s becoming the life of WNBA superstar Candace Parker. In 14 years as a player with the Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky, she’s more than lived out her dream of being a basketball player — she’s literally one of the all-time greats. Her career accomplishments include two WNBA MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, a defensive player of the year and rookie of the year award, two college national championships, and after helping Chicago win the title last season, two WNBA championships. The list goes on.

But now she’s also a budding star as a studio analyst for Turner Sports, where she signed a multi-year extension in September.

It’s an opportunity she called “a dream.”

It’s also keeping Parker busy this time of year. She’s in the thick of March Madness, covering the NCAA men’s basketball tournament across Turner’s family of networks. This comes a month after she and wife Anna Petrakova welcomed to the world their first child together. In two weeks, she’ll introduce another baby to the world; the very first film from her production company, Baby Hair Productions, in association with Turner Sports and Scout Productions. Titled “37 Words,” the film is a feature-length documentary that will “chronicle and celebrate the societal and cultural impact of Title IX, anchored through the perspective of Parker,” according to a press release.

Oh, and the WNBA season starts in less than two months.

It’s not lost on Parker that her impressive portfolio may not have been possible without the 37 words tucked inside the 1972 education amendments that make up Title IX. The law prevents discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs and activities. And though there’s still a way to go to create true equity across genders, as highlighted by the discrepancies between the 2021 men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, there’s no denying progress has been made. That’s the story Parker wants to highlight, she told For The Win in an interview that took place just before the start of this year’s tournaments.

Although Russian clubs have been …

Although Russian clubs have been indefinitely barred by FIBA from participating in European competitions, play in the domestic VTB United League and Russian Basketball Super League 1 continues. In some cases, I’m told, six-figure bonuses are being offered to American stars to come back. That, of course, leads to further complicated questions. Such as: How, exactly, would such bonuses be paid when so many Russian assets worldwide are frozen? A far weightier matter: What are the broader moral implications amid calls, as expertly laid out by my fellow Substacker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for Russian teams and athletes to be banned from all worldwide competition to increase public pressure on Putin? Then there is maybe the scariest question: How can any American player’s safety be assured after the recent airport arrest and detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner?