When the Seattle Storm endorsed Kamala Harris last week, they did not just take a political stance, they stepped up as the only professional sports team to entirely align themselves with a candidate in the 2024 election. Some people say politics do not belong in sports, but during an election with stakes as high as this one, the Storm’s statement is a major step forward.
The WNBA itself is considered an activism league because of its franchises’ commitment to social justice and equity, including an entire charity tournament where the champion donates their winnings to a charity of their choice. Not only is the Storm further aligning itself with the values of its parent league, they are standing up for their own values and spreading the notion that there is a lot at stake for a lot of people.
Progressive action is not new to the league; Minnesota Lynx icon Maya Moore left the sport in 2019 to focus on social reform, before announcing her official retirement four years later. Similarly, in their endorsement post on Instagram, the Storm stated that Harris and Walz best align with the franchise’s commitment to equality and opportunity.
While specific players on professional sports teams have spoken up about their personal political endorsements, no other team in its entirety has taken to endorsing either one of the candidates.
Considering Harris’s commitment to enhancing the attention towards women’s sports and lessening the wage gap within the sports world, her agenda is what aligns closest with that of the entire WNBA. As an activist league that works to uplift women’s rights at its foundation, (add comma) however, it would be in the entire league’s best interest to follow in the Storm’s footsteps.
The Storm also endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, which marked the first time a pro sports franchise endorsed a candidate, an accomplishment matched only by the Storm themselves. Current co-owner Ginny Gilder took to Twitter to state that while sports franchises don’t typically endorse political candidates, the times were anything but typical. Sadly, four years later it feels as though even more is at stake.
Because of its uncommon nature, this endorsement will hopefully make ripples on an institutional level and spread to the rest of the sports world, while also spreading to the conscience of greater Seattle. Washington is a blue state, mostly because of Seattle, which is slowly leaning more liberal as a city.
Considering the growth in attention towards the WNBA this year alone, the Storm’s public endorsement will absolutely rally support for Harris’s campaign, not only in the Seattle area, but across the nation. A lot of the country, and some other countries, tuned in to women’s sports this year, a pattern Harris has expressed she would like to see continue.
This story was written by Lilly Peacock. She can be reached at lilly.peacock@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @lillypeacockMU.