Tag: AthleteActivism

Jordan Henderson’s new Saudi Arabian club turns rainbow armband black and white in online post

The midfielder’s transfer has attracted heavy criticism, including from the Liverpool Supporters’ Board, which says it is “very disappointed and disheartened by his decision and the hurt and division it has created”.

Jordan Henderson’s new Saudi Arabian football club has turned part of a colour photograph black and white – ensuring his rainbow armband cannot be seen.

A burst of images of Henderson playing for Liverpool feature on a video from Al-Ettifaq FC to announce his signing.

One features Henderson in a match in December 2020 when – as part of the Premier League’s LGBTQ solidarity weekend – he wore a rainbow-coloured captain’s armband.

While most of the photo remains in full colour, the small section featuring the armband has been turned black and white by Al-Ettifaq.

Text placed over the video reads: “Captain who sets an example in every training session and every match.”

Sky News has found the original image, confirming it originally featured the rainbow armband.

The obscuring of the armband’s LGBTQ messaging highlights how such rainbow armbands would be frowned on in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex relations are illegal.

The anti-LGBTQ laws in the kingdom are one reason why Henderson’s transfer has drawn criticism from Liverpool fans.

Rights activists denounce Saudi Arabia as a repressive regime where freedoms are supressed and full equality is far from being guaranteed for women.

Having shown solidarity with the LGBTQ community during 12 years at Anfield, the 33-year-old has accepted a lucrative transfer to a state-funded football project in a country with repressive laws.

LGBT+ fans’ group Kop Outs said Henderson had been “tarnished”.

“He was portraying himself as aligned with respect for women and LGBT+ rights,” said Kop Outs founder Paul Amann.

“That has been severely tarnished by looking to jump ship to a regime that has none of those values at its core.

“And it leaves us questioning the authenticity of any of his former commitments. That tarnishes him entirely as a person but not as a player.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/jordan-hendersons-new-saudi-arabian-club-turns-rainbow-armband-photo-black-and-white-12928707

Brittney Griner plays in first game since detainment, says hearing national anthem ‘definitely hit different’

Seven-time WNBA All-Star Britney Griner returned to game action on Friday for the first time since being arrested in February 2022 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after authorities discovered vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner spent nearly 10 months in a Russian prison after she pleaded guilty to drug charges, and she returned to the United States in December after a prisoner exchange.

Brittney Griner, #42 of the Phoenix Mercury, prepares to shoot a free throw during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 12, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Friday night, Griner played in her first competitive game since the 2021 WNBA Finals, scoring 10 points for the Phoenix Mercury in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

It was the Mercury’s final preseason game before the regular season opener on Friday.

Prior to the tip, Griner and her teammates stood for the national anthem, and the No. 1 pick of the 2013 WNBA Draft received a loud ovation from the home crowd as she was introduced.

“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner said. “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.”

The Phoenix Mercury stand for the national anthem before the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 12, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

In July 2020, as social justice protests were occurring around the country, Griner said she didn’t feel that the anthem should be played during the season, adding that she didn’t mean any “disrespect to our country.”

Griner re-signed with Phoenix in February, returning for her 10th WNBA season, all with the Mercury.

“We looked at each other, and we just had chills,” Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said. “We were here last year for all of it. I’m getting emotional about it now. Just to see her back out there — it’s an absolute miracle. It was amazing. It’s giving me chills again.”

Griner added three rebounds in 17 minutes, but she was critical of her performance, saying she was more rusty than she expected.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/brittney-griner-plays-first-game-detainment-hearing-national-anthem-definitely-hit-different

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