WNBA star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia, is guilty only of pursuing a salary that matches her skill
CBC
This is a column by Morgan Campbell, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
We've finally seen a post-arrest photo of WNBA star Brittney Griner — she stands in a drab room, wearing a black T-shirt and casts a blank stare into a camera while holding a sheet of paper bearing her name.
Russia's state-run news agency published the picture early Wednesday, so we know that Griner, at least in the moments after she was hauled into custody by Russian authorities for possessing cannabis oil and vape pens, was alive and relatively healthy. Beyond that, details about Griner's well-being and legal status are as sparse as the decor in the room where she was photographed. We don't know when the photo was snapped, or whether she has access to basics like nutrition, fresh air and a competent lawyer.
We just know, because Russian authorities have told us, that the seven-time WNBA all-star could face 10 years in prison if convicted of the offences they're alleging.
If cannabis oil and vape pens are still illegal in most places in North America, they're only barely so. Like driving with expired tags. It's a problem most jurisdictions over here solve with warnings and fines, and not life-changing stints in prison. That Griner faces a decade-long incarceration says more about Russia's outdated laws than it does about her.
It's also telling that Russian authorities waited some time — between a week and a month — before announcing the arrest, even though Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, and one of the WNBA's biggest names. Imagine Canadian police arresting a Russian NHL star, detaining him without bail, and staying quiet about it for 20 days.
Wouldn't happen.
But Canada isn't Russia, and no North American athlete is as jammed up at the intersection of sports and geopolitics as Griner, who plays with UMMC Ekaterinburg between WNBA seasons.
In this situation, diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Russia is a constant. When Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin lost a sympathetic head of state in the western hemisphere. And American assertions that Russian authorities arrest and imprison U.S. nationals on flimsy pretexts spans presidential administrations.
But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned strained relations volatile. The U.S. is among a long list of nations imposing sanctions that are hobbling Russia's economy. This week, the U.S. pledged to stop importing Russian oil. Russia, meanwhile, has the U.S. on a list of "unfriendly countries" it republished earlier this week.
How did Griner wind up in the middle of this Cold War reboot?
Money.
We could call UMMC Ekaterinburg her off-season job, except that team likely pays Griner several times what the Phoenix Mercury do. So if you want to call her a Russian league star who moonlights in the WNBA, you're not completely wrong.
Roughly half of the WNBA's players toil overseas between seasons. Griner and WNBA legend Diana Tarausi play in Russia, where players can make life-changing money, but where the head of state is bent on annexing neighbouring countries by force.
