The W.N.B.A.’s players and fans pushed furiously for Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony, but her plight also highlighted gender inequities in sports.
Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury star, was convicted on drug charges in Russia. Hours later, her teammates had a game. “Nobody even wanted to play today,” one said.
Griner, the W.N.B.A. star detained in Russia on drug charges, is one of many athletes who have said cannabis helps with sports injuries. But it is banned by sports leagues and illegal in many places.
American citizens should still know that if they are imprisoned in a country with a dubious legal system, the U.S. government will do all it can to get them back.