Time magazine’s Time 100, which recognises the most influential people of the year, was formally published on Thursday. And, the name Britney Griner is included in the list!
Britney Griner In The List!
Britney Griner is one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She was one of the athletes chosen for the prestigious position.
Other sportsmen on the list were the record-breaking skier Mikaela Shiffrin, the Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes II, the soccer greats Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, and tennis player Iga Switek.
Yusra Mardini, an Olympian, and her sister Sara were also included in the list. They were both Syrian refugees. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Yusra represented the refugee Olympic team. Ever since then, she has advocated for human rights.
Why Is Britney Griner Included In The List?
Griner, a WNBA star, has continued to be a significant figure in basketball. She is one of the few female basketball players that can slam dunk and has had a great college and professional career.
When Griner was detained in Russia, she garnered worldwide attention. The two-time Olympic gold medallist served a ten-month sentence. She was taken into custody in February 2022, and a nine-year prison term was imposed.
Griner was accused of possessing items related to drugs. During a security check, the basketball player’s bag contained cannabis-based oils. While being held, Griner was also briefly transferred to a prison for women.
Griner was set free and sent back to the US in a diplomatic trade for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. According to the U.S. authorities, Britney Griner was wrongfully detained.
The WNBA season will start in May, and Griner is expected to make a comeback. The Phoenix Mercury offered her a deal. Since 2013, Griner has been a member of the Mercury. In addition, she spent the WNBA off-season playing for one season in China and eight years in Russia.
Bird Penned For Griner
Sue Bird penned Griner’s piece for the story in Time Magazine. During Griner’s two gold medal campaigns, Bird and Griner played together for Team USA. Bird praised Griner’s tenacity in his letter.
“Brittney Griner’s story is very powerful. It all starts with resilience. BG was unfairly imprisoned for nearly 10 months in a Russian prison, but she never gave up hope or her sense of humour, according to a Time article by Bird. While going through her terrible ordeal, she remained BG.
But behind this tale of inner power, there is so much more, says Bird. The five-time Olympic gold medallist believes that Griner’s narrative helped bring attention to the wage difference between male and female athletes, which was in part the reason why Griner ended up on the Russian UMMC Ekaterinburg squad in the first place.
According to Bird, “BG’s unjust detention brought awareness to problems like the disparities in pay for women athletes, which sometimes drive us to put ourselves in risky situations to maximise our financial worth.”
To Sum Up
In conclusion, Griner is a strong figure for women’s and LGBTQ rights in sports. Griner currently makes use of her position to fight for the rights of other people who are unjustly incarcerated in foreign.
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