Dispatch #98 White Lesbian Age 70 Considers Brittany Griner & Black Women Athletes

December 12th 2022

660 Days Since Inauguration of First Woman Vice-President

435 Days Until the 2024 Presidential Primaries Begin 

Biden’s “I-Freed-Brittany-Griner” swagger is so much more gratifying than Obama’s “I-Killed-Osama-Bin-Laden” swagger.  Yeah, a buzzer-beating shot made from center court.

And, really, spare me the hand-wringing about “notorious arms dealer” Viktor Bout, who by the way sold arms to America’s friends as well as America’s foes.  America is the biggest and most notorious arms dealer, most recently selling arms to Saudi Arabia used to commit genocide in Yemen -- $64B worth between 2015 and 2020.  

But I digress from my intended focus on black women athletes.

Access to abortion represents a critical issue for college women athletes as pregnancy can derail both athletic and academic careers.  “Abortion bans could have a widespread effect on college athletics — potentially sidetracking the careers of athletes who are prohibited from having an abortion legally, influencing where athletes choose to attend school, and exposing some coaches, trainers and administrators to lawsuits for helping any athlete get an abortion.”  www.nytimes.com/2022/06/10/sports/oklahoma-abortion-softball.html

The pervasive legacy of slavery intersected with misogyny is revealed by the finding that HBCU students disproportionately affected by Roe's reversal.  “Roughly three-quarters of HBCUs are located in states that have banned or mostly banned abortions. Many of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are scattered across the South, in states where Black Americans, in the wake of the Civil War, pooled their resources and finally gained access to higher education.  Now, however, their descendants are disproportionately losing their right to reproductive health.” www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/20/abortion-access-hbcus-roevwade/

And what else emerges disproportionate distribution of abortion bans? HBCUs are concentrated in athletic conferences with high caliber women’s sports teams.  Elite women’s college sports are disproportionately located in states with abortion bans. Elite women of color college athletes will be disproportionately impacted post-Roe.  https://justwomenssports.com/abortion-bans-ncaa-womens-sports-impact/.  

Kudos were awarded to the NCAA for standing against state bathroom bans in 2017.  The NCAA also pressured Mississippi lawmakers in 2020 to remove Confederate imagery from its flag, similarly threatening to withhold championship events from the state. www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/sports/ncaafootball/ncaa-mississippi-state-flag.html 

In May 2022, Oklahoma lawmakers enacted a near total ban on access to abortion. The NCAA Division I Softball World Series has been played in Oklahoma City since 1990. This tournament pumps more than $20 million into the city’s economy, and is an unrivaled national showcase for elite women college athletes.  With nary a whisper about women’s rights despite calls that NCAA should find a new home for college softball, the tournament took place in early June with a dominant performance by Oklahoma University. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/09/women-college-world-series-oklahoma-abortion/

Yeah, somehow, a female athlete’s right to control her body and to have agency over her life was a bridge too far for the NCAA.  Apparently not quite as important as bathrooms and flags.