3 Ways WNBA Players Are Radically Changing The World For The Better

Over the last two decades, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been a leader in empowering people on and off the court. Since the league's formation in 1997, players have used their platform to amplify important issues, both around the world and within their own communities. This commitment to giving back has become part of the fabric of the organization as it’s created space for frank conversations around vital social justice causes like LGBTQ+ rights, gun violence, and racial equality. While most fans may know the players for their star quality and athletic prowess, it’s key to recognize the many members throughout the league who have become impassioned advocates for positive change.

To help magnify the amazing work players are doing, Bustle rounded up three pivotal ways WNBA players are making a difference in their communities and beyond.

1. WNBA Players Are Working To Prevent Gun Violence

Over the last five years, Natasha Cloud, a point guard with the Washington Mystics, has become extremely vocal about the issue of gun control. It started back in June of 2019, when Cloud and teammate Ariel Atkins visited Henley Middle School to read to students in the team’s home town of Washington, D.C. While there, the two learned of several gun-related incidents that had led to lockdowns at the school in recent months.

This hit home for Cloud, especially because the middle school’s campus is located less than a mile from where the Mystics practice. Cloud quickly took to social media, calling on local officials to pay attention and implement changes to keep students and staff safe in schools all around the city.

Since then, Cloud has continued the fight for gun control, getting involved with Everytown — a national organization that operates on the fundamental fact that gun violence affects every town in America — and their Everytown Athletic Council. Cloud even decided to sit the 2020-21 season out and devote her energies to making change full-time. Since then, she’s become an outspoken advocate against police brutality, in particular following the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor.

2. They’re Pushing Vital Conversations Forward For LGBTQ+ Rights

Layshia Clarendon isn't afraid to stand up for who they are and what they believe in. Clarendon, the first openly non-binary player in the WNBA and current stand out guard on the Minnesota Lynx, has used their athletic platform to help amplify LBGTQ+ rights. Over the last seven years, Clarendon has made a major effort within the WNBA community and beyond to make it more inclusive for everyone. In 2015, they even won the Outsports' Female Hero of the Year award for all the work they’ve done in support of LGBTQ+ in sports.

Clarendon has continued to work tirelessly on behalf of their community while also getting involved in other social justice causes. In 2020, the UC Berkeley alumni was named to the WNBA's inaugural Social Justice Council. Clarendon met this newfound responsibility head on and has since helped lead many vital conversations, as well as stayed active in the Black Lives Matter movement. Not living by society's rules and being true to who they are is at the core of who Clarendon is, especially when it comes to gender expression. After the birth of Clarendon's child with their partner Jessica Dolan, the couple was very public about raising their baby with a larger awareness surrounding gender expansiveness, and as such, they haven’t revealed the sex or name of the kid, and also choose to use gender neutral pronouns.

3. And They’re Reframing The Political Landscape

Elizabeth Williams is a British-born Nigerian player who has made major waves in the league since moving to America. The Washington Mystics' power forward has developed an extremely impressive career and at only 28, she’s already been on three U.S. Olympic basketball teams and played eight seasons in the WNBA. But 2020’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement against police violence is what really inspired Williams to make her voice heard.

Following critical comments that owner of the Atlanta Dream, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, made about BLM, Williams joined with other players to organize a campaign for change. In the summer of 2020, Williams and her teammates — plus other players across the league — sported black t-shirts printed with the words “Vote Warnock” every day for a week. The phrase referred to Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, who was Loeffler’s political opponent in the upcoming election. Six months later, Warnock defeated Loeffler in a runoff election and became Georgia’s first Black senator.

This generation of WNBA players are some of the most outspoken and active advocates of changing the world for the better. By bringing visibility to important causes, these players have helped start a movement, and the good news is, there’s no end in sight.