The WNBA and the WNBPA released a joint statement Wednesday in which both parties said they'd met this week to discuss an uptick in online attacks and harassment experienced by several players in the league. This meeting comes after Alyssa Thomas said that she's been on the receiving end of such treatment, and Chelsea Gray shared a screenshot of a racist message she received on Instagram (the person who sent Gray that message has since been fired from their job).
The statement was good: the parties pledged to do more to combat online harassment. But it also left plenty of questions hanging in the air. Namely: how will the league do that?
That's not to say it isn't possible, and it's also not to say that the WNBA doesn't have the knowledge and resources to more appropriately protect players in the online sphere. The league also noted plans to collaborate with the union and organizations that "share the values of our league" to make this possible.
Collaboration is likely going to be a key part of the process, because policing the internet is a tall order at best. WNBA players absolutely deserve this kind of protection.
The league's "No Space For Hate" policy that launched last year was a good step in that direction, though it's not entirely clear how the policy has been implemented since. Many have called for the league to take action against Sophie Cunningham for comments she made this week about transgender girls and women in sports; the Tempo's head coach Sandy Brondello was suspended this week after she called Angel Reese a "protected species" during a game. It seems the WNBA will have many challenges and angles to consider when attempting to carry out the directives the league has put into place.
The WNBA has always maintained that the league is inclusive, and that everyone can and should feel safe celebrating women's basketball and participating in it. That claim, and the values the league and union referenced in their statement, are being tested now. So far, the league has put enhanced security measures into place, such as personnel whose job it is to evaluate potential threats, such as messages or physical actions at games, and determine what needs to happen next.
That's a very strong step toward player safety, which is the WNBA's ultimate goal. That's something they, of course, share with the WNBPA, and, hopefully, fans of the game everywhere.
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