WNBA's Fight Against Kelly Loeffler

Former Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler is on the verge of losing her 49% stake in the Atlanta Dream, one of the bigger WNBA teams after players around the league called for her to sell her stake. This situation dates back to the start of the summer when Loeffler, who has spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement, wrote a letter to league officials objecting to the league’s initiative to advocate for racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement. The reception of this by the players was not positive, prompting players on the Atlanta Dream to sport a “Vote Warnock” shirt in protest against Loeffler’s ownership (Shown on the right). Fortunately, it seems as though a resolution has been in the works, due to an agreement that has been reportedly reached in which Loeffler sells her stake in the team, ending the defeated Republican Senator contentious stint as a WNBA owner. The WNBA made a statement in response to the situation: “As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized. Once the sale negotiation is concluded, additional information will be provided.” A person with knowledge of the situation said there were five groups interested in purchasing the Atlanta Dream and that the team was “finalizing its decision”. NBA superstar Lebron James, as well as many other prominent celebrities and athletes, have also expressed interest when he tweeted “Think I’m going to put an ownership group together for the Dream”.

The push to get rid of Loeffler’s ownership seemed to have worked, with Loeffler not only losing her stake in the team but also losing her crucial senate race shifting the political balance of the Senate. Loeffler, a wealthy businesswoman who closely aligned herself with former President Trump, has been an owner of the Dream since 2011. Previously, she hadn't served as the team’s representative to the league’s board of governors since October 2011. However, now it seems she will no longer have a chance to do this, as she will lose her ownership of the franchise. This is yet another example of professional sports leagues taking action in shedding light on the racial injustices African-Americans face in America today.