Professional athletes have been goaded by the press to get more political.
The result has been a deeper fracturing of society.
But one anti-American anthem protestor made stunning comments about the Star-Spangled Banner.
WNBA star Britney Griner is home after rotting in a Russian prison for several months.
Griner was arrested at a Russian airport for possessing drug paraphernalia, and in order to get her out of custody, the United States had to trade Griner for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.”
Griner previously engaged in the anti-American national anthem protests started by Colin Kaepernick, but had a much different outlook after being deprived of American freedoms from sitting in a Russian jail cell.
After her first game back in the WNBA, Griner said in the postgame press conference that “it definitely hit different” when she heard the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Griner explained, “It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different…Being here today … it means a lot.”
Britney Griner talking on the podium discusses about whether it felt differently when the National Anthem hit.#ValleyTogether#WNBA pic.twitter.com/G0TUMJUPG4
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) May 13, 2023
Griner had a similar message when she wrote a letter from behind bars.
She wrote, “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympics jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever. On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
Griner seems like she got the message loud and clear about the privileges she took for granted in America.
Comedian Tim Dillon previously joked, “If we bail you out, then enough. Don’t say anything other than—I want you to be Candace Owens-level patriotic if we trade a Russian arms dealer for you. That’s all. That’s all I’m asking…[J]ust be grateful. You were in a foreign country smoking hash. Nobody has to get you, but if this corpse Biden arranges to get you somehow by trading this high-value Russian guy, just be happy about it…Don’t be negative in any aspect if you’ve just been brought back from Russia.”
Unfortunately, the left is already pushing Griner to be an advocate for “woke” policies.
Griner said that she is very much in favor of biological males playing women’s sports, which will eventually kill women’s athletics.
Griner said, “That ranks high on the list of things I’ll be fighting for and speaking up against…Everyone deserves the right to play. Everyone deserves the right to come here, sit in these seats, and feel safe. And not feel like there’s the threat, or they can’t be who they are, or like it’s just all eyes on them.”
The Democrat Party advocacy has already begun.
