Brittney Griner is in worse position because of 'large portion of the population in Russia which is

[AZProgressive]

Brittney Griner is in worse position because of 'large portion of the population in Russia which is racist,' former detainee says

Basketball star Brittney Griner may be in a "worse position" while in Russian custody because she is Black and a lesbian, Trevor Reed, a Marine Corp veteran freed from Russian custody, said at a Houston rally for Griner on Tuesday.

"Brittney, especially in Russia, is probably in a lot of ways in a worse position than I was because Brittney is African American. There's a large portion of the population in Russia which is racist," Reed said.

"They also have a government that systematically discriminates against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual people under Vladimir Putin," Reed continued. "And those things are obviously going to make Brittney's time there a lot more difficult than if they just had taken another American hostage."

https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/brittney-griner-is-in-worse-position-because-of-large-portion-of-the-population-in-russia-which-is-racist-former-detainee-says/articleshow/92070240.cms

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I am so disheartened with each day of her continued incarceration.

[MichMan]

2. I wonder why she would ever agree to play in such a racist bigoted country in the first place?

[FSogol]

3. So, it is all her fault?

[MichMan]

7. I personally wouldn't frequent places with a large number of bigoted homophobic white supremists

But thats just me based on my own principles. Others are free to make their own decisions of course

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Do you live in the U.S.?

[MichMan]

9. I do

I wouldn't accept a job working in an atmosphere that was known to be racist and homophobic, would you?

If that wasn't enough; certainly not in a country with an oppressive authoritarian government.

I was unemployed for all of 2009 and was called by a head hunter asking if I was willing to take a job in Afghanistan. I politely said, no way in hell.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. .

I wouldn't accept a job working in an atmosphere that was known to be racist and homophobic, would you?

I mean, those of us who live in the U.S. have a comparable national-level atmosphere of racism and homophobia as they do in Russia. And many of us surround ourselves with like-minded people to help buffer ourselves from the worst of it, whether at work, in our social circles, cultural institutions, whatever. And that's what U.S. players in Russia are able to do -- they're paid much more than they are here, have their own housing and transportation, and so on.

Questioning what a Black GNC gay person does to feel secure in this life isn't useful, I think.

I was unemployed for all of 2009 and was called by a head hunter asking if I was willing to take a job in Afghanistan. I politely said, no way in hell.

That's really something.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

13. Touche

[Hortensis]

20. Well, that's most nations on this planet, adjusting racism to reflect

the dominant population of course. Russia's extremely conservative for a sorta-European nation, people very impoverished and got a double whammy of authoritarian control from the czars double-teaming with the church -- if you misbehaved in this life there was no escape, they'd probably get you here AND in the next one for sure. And there were no black people, Asian though.

We're fortunate to be living in a time and one of the parts of the world that'll enable a professional black lesbian female athlete to shine and travel the world playing. Just a very few decades ago, those who wouldn't tolerate it would have had no place to go. But, we do advance, including those in Russia who wanted to see her play.

[JI7]

5. I think they get paid more than they did playing in the US . Also it was mostly safe

to do so until the war. Remember that most women in sports don't get paid anywhere near what men do. I think in some like Tennis they can get paid a lot . But not in Basketball.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Pay is part of it. But a lot of Ekaterinburg players say the team gets a lot of respect and that

it's a great opportunity to improve their personal game. Plus, they say it's fun.

[haele]

12. Because they pay 4x moe than the WNBA.

Griener is not making over $400/500k a year with the WNBA; her equivalents in the NBA are making Millions.
A Russian team was willing to pay her several million for a couple years.
Considering professional athletes don't typically have more than 10 -15 years to earn the majority of their income playing before they have to find something else to do, it makes sense for them to go where someone is going to offer them the most amount of money.

So, yes. Like most athletes, she'll swallow her pride and contract to play for a racist Russian team if they pay enough to enable her to retire comfortably when she can't play at a professional level anymore.

Haele

[MichMan]

14. The NBA and the WNBA are under the same umbrella

I know if a major corporation placed all the men in a successful profitable part of the company and paid them very well, and put all the women in the unprofitable division and paid them a pittance, everyone would be outraged.


They should be under the same bargaining unit and contract . IF the NBA players really believed in qequity, they would gladly forego some of their salaries, so their fellow players in the WNBA could make more.

I guess they are no different than the rest of the 1%. What's mine is mine and screw everyone else.

[Zeitghost]

16. They are separate organizations

With very different revenue streams.

[MichMan]

17. Isn't the WNBA owned by the NBA?

If a corporation put all the women employees in an unprofitable spin off and the men in the ultra profitable entity, and paid the men 20x higher based on profit sharing from revenues, would that be justified ?

[Zeitghost]

18. The NBA owns half of the WNBA

But the NBA/WNBA does not employ players, the teams do.


It would seem unreasonable to me to expect a company that makes $5 million a year to pay the same as a company that makes $250 million a year running a similar scale operation.

[MichMan]

19. Why not combine them with an overall revenue of $255 million ?

and pay the players appropriately.

The way it is now, the rookie starting salary ( for a player who has never even played a game) is making over 3x more than the highest paid star player in the WNBA.

A player like Steven Curry might have to settle for $30 million a year instead of $45 million. I'm sure he will find a way to get by somehow.

[Kid Berwyn]

4. Racist and Homophobic

She is in danger just for being, let alone under arrest on drug charges.

[mitch96]

10. I fear for her life. putin will use her as a pawn and a "rich" black female athelete means

nothing to him... If she can't be used as leverage she will be in danger...YMMV
m

[Jack the Greater]

15. "There's a large portion of the population in Russia which is racist."

"They also have a government that systematically discriminates against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual people under Vladimir Putin."

Which is why Putin and Russia are so popular with Republicans.