WWTBAM Bored

https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/05/russ ... ody-arrest

I call bullshit on this. Very scary.

WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia extended to May 19

Russian media reported that the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner was extended until May 19, a development that could see the two-time Olympic champion being held for at least three months before her case is resolved.

The case of the 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in women's basketball, comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Griner was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33 ... xtended-19

At least she won't have to listen to the United States National Anthem.

I can't seem to find info on what she was doing in Russia before she was detained. Anyone heard or read anything on that?

tlynn78 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:14 pm

I can't seem to find info on what she was doing in Russia before she was detained. Anyone heard or read anything on that?

According to ESPN:

Griner has played in Russia for the last seven years in the winter, earning over $1 million per season -- more than quadruple her WNBA salary. She last played for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29 before the league took a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. She was arrested in Moscow upon returning to Russia.

She plays there every offseason because the WNBA pays a disgracefully low salary for a professional athlete.

Everyone gets that these folks don't draw the fans and sell the merchandise that NBA players do, but the discrepancy is pretty dramatic: WNBA minimum is $70,000, and NBA minimum is $925,000 with little experience (it's 2.6M with 10 years' experience).

Yes, the WNBA season is on the short side, but seriously. Plenty of people on this message board make more than $70,000 a year (I am not one of them).

Vandal wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:23 pm

tlynn78 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:14 pm

I can't seem to find info on what she was doing in Russia before she was detained. Anyone heard or read anything on that?

According to ESPN:

Griner has played in Russia for the last seven years in the winter, earning over $1 million per season -- more than quadruple her WNBA salary. She last played for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29 before the league took a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. She was arrested in Moscow upon returning to Russia.

Ah - that makes sense.

Ritterskoop wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:04 pm

She plays there every offseason because the WNBA pays a disgracefully low salary for a professional athlete.

Everyone gets that these folks don't draw the fans and sell the merchandise that NBA players do, but the discrepancy is pretty dramatic: WNBA minimum is $70,000, and NBA minimum is $925,000 with little experience (it's 2.6M with 10 years' experience).

Yes, the WNBA season is on the short side, but seriously. Plenty of people on this message board make more than $70,000 a year (I am not one of them).

No one on this message board gets paid anything close to $70,000 for playing a game. Why? Because not enough people will pay, or sit and watch commercials, to see any of us play. The same with the WBNA. Do I make more than $70K. Yes. Why? Because my employer wants me to work for them and they know others would pay me more than that to work for them (the others) and my employer knows I'd probably do that. Am I worth it? Worth is relative to what folks will pay and others will accept. I like to think I am, anyway.

I personally think $70K to play a game is not disgracefully low, considering teacher make on average less than that to actually do something meaningful.

Beebs52 wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 05, 2022 6:39 pm

https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/05/russ ... ody-arrest

I call bullshit on this. Very scary.

Being caught with illegal drugs would be "par for the course" with Griner, who had some discipline issues in the past.

Silly me thinking that she probably, after many years of playing in Russia, knows what is and isn't kosher in fucking RUSSIA. And that it was probably planted unless it was cbd oil and that's illegal there too. And that she's somewhat of a high profile American. And it's fucking RUSSIA. The one at war? Those guys?

I don't give a shit about past transgressions. Jeez

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:44 pm

Ritterskoop wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:04 pm

She plays there every offseason because the WNBA pays a disgracefully low salary for a professional athlete.

Everyone gets that these folks don't draw the fans and sell the merchandise that NBA players do, but the discrepancy is pretty dramatic: WNBA minimum is $70,000, and NBA minimum is $925,000 with little experience (it's 2.6M with 10 years' experience).

Yes, the WNBA season is on the short side, but seriously. Plenty of people on this message board make more than $70,000 a year (I am not one of them).

No one on this message board gets paid anything close to $70,000 for playing a game. Why? Because not enough people will pay, or sit and watch commercials, to see any of us play. The same with the WBNA. Do I make more than $70K. Yes. Why? Because my employer wants me to work for them and they know others would pay me more than that to work for them (the others) and my employer knows I'd probably do that. Am I worth it? Worth is relative to what folks will pay and others will accept. I like to think I am, anyway.

I personally think $70K to play a game is not disgracefully low, considering teacher make on average less than that to actually do something meaningful.

I suspect that the problem (such as it is) of low WNBA salaries might soon take care of itself. At some point, there might be enough former men playing in the league that people might actually want to watch it.

One angle that is of interest to some of us is that if the athlete being detained were a man, and if he fit more neatly into a mainstream look, the conversation would be very different.

Or this:

Ritterskoop wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:00 pm

One angle that is of interest to some of us is that if the athlete being detained were white a man, and if he fit more neatly into a mainstream look, the conversation would be very different.

Vandal wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:47 pm

Or this:

Ritterskoop wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:00 pm

One angle that is of interest to some of us is that if the athlete being detained were white a man, and if he fit more neatly into a mainstream look, the conversation would be very different.

Nah, but keep up your bigotry. I’d feel the same if it were Keith Olbermann.

I don't think my pointing out that some people think of Brittney Griner a particular way means that I am bigoted.

But I will refrain from commenting anymore, just to be safe. I thought I was adding a layer to the discussion, but I guess not.

Ritterskoop wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:54 pm

I don't think my pointing out that some people think of Brittney Griner a particular way means that I am bigoted.

But I will refrain from commenting anymore, just to be safe. I thought I was adding a layer to the discussion, but I guess not.

My comment was not directed at you as much as Vandal.

I think it bigotry that a person who is black cannot be judged negatively based on the content of their character, but based solely on the color of their skin, which is what Vandal is insinuating. No one should get a pass on being a prick because they are black, female, gay, tattooed, whatever the excuse given. Plenty of pricks who look like me. You may not agree with my conclusion about Brittney's character, but accusing me (or anyone else) of thinking that way because of her color, gender, sexual preference, etc. is insulting and by definition bigotry.

I thought I very carefully did not accuse you of being a bigot or of seeing her case in any particular way.

I should have said that I spend most of my working days reading analyses of sports topics, and I've seen some people in there (more so, in the comments from anonymous readers) who clearly would feel differently if the locked-up person were Tom Brady. Specifically, Tom Brady, is what caught my attention.

Wow, I go away to upstate New York for a day and this happens.

My response upstream was completely misinterpreted because the response was not clearly written. As a writer, I strive to make my words count and clarity is vital.

I apologize for writing a vague response. Here is the correction:

Skoop said:

One angle that is of interest to some of us is that if the athlete being detained were a man, and if he fit more neatly into a mainstream look, the conversation would be very different.

Which I responded with :

Or this:
One angle that is of interest to some of us is that if the athlete being detained were white, the conversation would be very different.


The key word here is conversation. There are a few going on in this thread. I was NOT referring to the salary she makes for playing basketball either here or in Russia or who deserves what salary, male or female, domestic or abroad. Nor was I talking about her drug use. But I didn't make that clear. I was referring to how she was being detained and treated by the RUSSIANS. In my opinion, she is being treated different by the RUSSIANS because she is a black woman. I base this the RUSSIAN'S history of human rights violations toward people of color and recent events which paint them as total assholes.

And JFC, I'm not accusing anyone on this Bored of anything, implied or otherwise.

I make it a habit of avoiding hot button issues on this Bored. I thought dumping on the RUSSIANS would clever, but I fucked it up.

Like Skoop later said. Time to refrain. Peace.

Vandal wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:44 pm

The key word here is conversation.

Thanks for clarifying. I did think it out of character for you to make such comment.

I think the keyword is what misdirected the response. Had Skoop (or you) used the word "Situation" rather than "conversation" things would have been interpreted as you meant. The "conversation" is what we/the bored/the US public is in control of, the "situation" is what the Russians are in control of.

Beebs52 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 3:00 pm

Silly me thinking that she probably, after many years of playing in Russia, knows what is and isn't kosher in fucking RUSSIA. And that it was probably planted unless it was cbd oil and that's illegal there too. And that she's somewhat of a high profile American. And it's fucking RUSSIA. The one at war? Those guys?

I don't give a shit about past transgressions. Jeez

Bumped to reinforce that this conversation...wasn't about bigotry, anthem kneelers...etc. Just an American conveniently detained at onset of war. Funny that eh?

I guess I'm not a bigot anymore.

A Russian court sentences WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years on drug charges

MOSCOW — A Russian court has found Brittney Griner guilty on drug smuggling and possession charges. The widely expected verdict comes after a monthlong trial and nearly six months after the basketball star was arrested at a Moscow-area airport with cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage.

The judge sentenced Griner to nine years in prison.

The trial's outcome was not unusual given that Russian criminal courts have a reported conviction rate of 99%. But it appears that Griner's fate will now be decided in the political arena.

The Biden administration, under public pressure to secure her release, has tried to negotiate with Russia to free her as well as another jailed American, Paul Whelan. Russia has said any potential deal — including a rumored prisoner swap that could see the U.S. release notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout — would have to wait until after the court's verdict.

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/04/11155418 ... witter.com

I did see something kind of funny that said

"The WNBA stands to lose hundreds of dollars if Brittney Griner is unable to return for the season."

Um, some sort of bs website. Not funny.

If anyone hears there has been an offer made to trade a nasty-bad Russian criminal for Griner and Paul Whelan, it's important to factor in that he has already served 20 years of a 25-year sentence.

Plus, they refer to Whelan as a "teacher' but I'm betting he was a spy. Not that that matters, but it's just one more piece of the story, however it turns out.

The trial went exactly the way experts on Russian criminal justice said it would, and that is good for Griner, in that she followed the script. Now, there really is a shot at that prisoner swap, as long as they keep it behind the scenes. The Russians got miffed a couple of weeks ago when the U.S. offer was made public.