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* League has long history of promoting social justice * Staunch Donald Trump ally is co-owner of Atlanta Dream * Profile: The owner against everything the WNBA stands forGeorgia senator Kelly Loeffler, a co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and a staunch ally of Donald Trump, says the league’s social justice efforts could exclude some fans.“I think a lot of people feel that they may not have a place,” Loeffler told ESPN on Tuesday. “They may feel excluded from this sport and other sports that make them feel like American values aren’t at the core of what we’re doing here.”The WNBA announced players will wear jerseys with the names of women killed by police and in racial violence on their jerseys when the league resumes later this week. They will also wear shirts with the slogan Black Lives Matter during warm-ups. The announcement prompted Loeffler to write to the league’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, objecting to the tie-in.“The statement, ‘Black lives matter,’ is very different than the organization Black Lives Matter,” Loeffler said. “I think we all agree the life of every African American is important. There’s no room for racism in this country, and we have to root it out where it exists. But there’s a political organization called Black Lives Matter that I think is very important to make the distinction between their aim and where we are as a country at this moment.“The Black Lives Matter political organization advocates things like defunding and abolishing the police, abolishing our military, emptying our prisons, destroying the nuclear family. It promotes violence and antisemitism. To me, this is not what our league stands for.”Black Lives Matter is a decentralized movement and does not have official policies.There have long been objections to Loeffler’s ownership of the Dream among WNBA fans and players, who see her conservative views as antithetical to the league’s progressive policies. However, Loeffler told ESPN she had no plans to step away from the Dream.“They can’t push me out for my views,” Loeffler said. “I intend to own the team. I am not going.”She also said she was happy to talk to players with differing views. “I’ve always been supportive of my team, though I know we may have different views,” Loeffler said. “But the best way that we can have a common understanding is by working together on it, not shutting someone out.”On Saturday, two-time Olympic champion and Las Vegas Angels star Angel McCoughtry said she believes Loeffler’s public statements have been about politics rather than her deeply held beliefs.“As far as Kelly is concerned, I think that right now, she has not reflected what the Dream logo stands for,” McCoughtry said. “If she really did have [problems] with LGBTQ or Black Lives Matter, I don’t think she would have had us players in her home. Why do you own a WNBA team? I think she has to play the political game to look good in front of her peers. OK, do that. If you want to play the political game, do that, but don’t include us in it.”Earlier this month, the WNBA’s players’ association tweeted the message “E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!” alongside a photo of Loeffler. The WNBA also released a statement on some of her previous comments.“The WNBA is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people and we, along with the teams and players, will continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice,” it read. “Senator Kelly Loeffler has not served as a Governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team.”
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