WNBA players demand US Senator and Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler be removed after her comments against the Black Lives Matter movement and its place in the league

• WNBA players are calling for Atlanta Dream owner and US Senator Kelly Loeffler to be banned from the league after her recent comments on the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Loeffler came out against the WNBA's plan for players to wear "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name" warm-ups because it endorses a "particular political agenda" and "sends a message of exclusion."
• The WNBA players union tweeted "E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!" while individual players wrote that it was "sad" and "hurtful" to hear Loeffler's stance on the issue.
• The league has responded to calls for the Republican senator's expulsion with a statement that Loeffler "is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team."

WNBA players have had "E-N-O-U-G-H" of one of its teams' owners and want her out of the league.

On Tuesday, Atlanta Dream owner and US Senator Kelly Loeffler penned a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in which she railed against the Black Lives Matter movement as "a particular political agenda [that] undermines the potential of the sport and sends a message of exclusion," per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Georgia Republican's message to Engelbert came in response to the league's decision to allow its players to wear warm-ups printed with "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name" during the 2020 season, which tips off later this month at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

WNBA players — 82.7% of whom are people of color, per The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport's 2019 Racial and Gender Report Card — were outspoken in their objection to Loeffler's most recent comments.

Former Atlanta point guard Layshia Clarendon described Loeffler's statement as "hurtful."

Current Dream player Renee Montgomery tweeted that she was "sad" to see her team's ownership speaking out against the Black Lives Matter movement and offered to sit down with Loeffler for a conversation.

Lexie Brown of the Minnesota Lynx said there's "no place" for Loeffler in the league.

The Chicago Sky's Sydney Colson called on Loeffler to "cut all ties with the league."

The WNBA players union did not mince words in its call to remove Loeffler from the league's ranks.

In response to the outcry against Loeffler, the WNBA released a statement Tuesday evening in which it reaffirmed the league's commitment to "use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice." Still, the league declined to take action against the longtime Dream owner and instead downplayed her involvement with the franchise by writing that she "has not served as Governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team."

The most recent calls for Loeffler's ouster come just days after the senator — who is a firm proponent of second amendment rights — came under fire for referring to armed Black protesters demonstrating in Atlanta after the death of Rayshard Brooks as "mob rule."

Several prominent WNBA stars, including Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird, Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, Phoenix Mercury point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, and more spoke out against Loeffler's "mob rule" comments and called on the league to take action over the weekend.

Loeffler's conservative viewpoints often clash with those of the WNBA, which is widely seen as a progressive league. Her removal from the Dream's ownership would not be completely unprecedented, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver forced former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell his team and banned the attorney and businessman from NBA events for life after his racist comments were made public.

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