Sports World Reacts To Brittney Griner Prison Theory
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A theory has been issued in Russia on Brittany Griner's harsh prison sentence.
According to a leading scholar and former professor,
Griner's sentence was so harsh because of the color of her skin and her sexuality.
Griner is Black and Gay, one of the top WNBA players. He has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges.
Griner was arrested at the airport earlier this year after drugs were found in his backpack.
"There's no question that if she wasn't a woman challenging sexual norms ...
He's married to a woman, but he's a major ball player. He is a phenomenal cultural icon.
Even LeBron had to admit it," Michael Eric Dyson said, according to Yahoo.
"This black woman, were she anyone else—even a straight black woman would have had more support than a black woman with a black wife."
Sports fans have been debating the controversial theory.
"This sounds like wishful thinking to advance an ideological agenda.
More likely, any bias was due to the fact that we are arming and supporting a military enemy of Russia," wrote one fan.
"Her punishment was so severe because she was an American in Russia at a time of high tensions created by the sanctions.
If Ms. Grinder felt that her race or sexual identity put her at risk in Russia, she had many other deliberate basketball choices.
It is disrespectful of him to assume that he did not care whether he was safe there or not,” said a fan.
"You're right, Mr. Dyson. But the Russians know that with a higher sentence for Griner.
They have strong bargaining power, especially if the U.S. Wants to secure Whelan's release at the same time as Griner.
So Putin will push to trade the Russian arms dealer and at least one other top-tier prisoner," wrote another fan.
Griner, one of the top WNBA players, has been in Russian custody since earlier this year.
The US government is working to bring him home. Hopefully, it will happen soon.