Biden praises WNBA champion Seattle Storm for their work on and off the court during White House visit

“What makes this team remarkable is that they not only win games, they change lives. Encourage people to get vaccinated so we can defeat this pandemic, advocate for racial justice and franchise and advocate for racial justice and franchise, education and … support programs for young people and the fight for the protection of trans youth an epidemic of violence and discrimination, ”said Biden.

“That’s what winners do. They shine the light, they uplift people, they are a force for change. This is the Seattle Storm, this is the WNBA, this is what they do,” he added.

The Storm was the first professional sports team by a woman to visit the White House during the Biden administration, which in itself is remarkable given that no WNBA team has visited the White House since 2016, President Barack Obama’s last year in office.

“As people who are part of women’s sport, it feels good to be back in this place and to have our achievements celebrated this way,” said Storm star Sue Bird.

Bird, who is married to soccer star Megan Rapinoe, said she wouldn’t really represent the league if she didn’t talk about “the work that needs to be done in our country and communities”. Rapinoe also visited the White House earlier this year for Equal Pay Day, which Biden said in Monday’s remarks was long overdue.

The president praised the WNBA as a whole for encouraging millions of women and girls and showing them that women can do anything a man can do, noting that his Vice President Kamala Harris was an example of that truth.

Storm owner Ginny Gilder said that although the WNBA players played their season in a bubble isolated from much of the world, they were fueled by the social justice movement that swept across the country last year.

“The women of the W stomped into the center of this movement. They use their game on the pitch and their eloquence not just to demand change, but to generate engagement and make change,” she said.

“Through their focused efforts, these leaders have set an example of how to react in difficult times and never settle down. They offered specific reasons to hold on to hope and they are changing the future of our country, ”added Gilder.

WNBA players came out loud against former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican who formerly co-owned the Atlanta Dream franchise, which has two Senate seats in Georgia.

Former Storm player Crystal Langhorne, who currently serves as the director of the community engagement team for its social justice platform Force4Change, said the team must and will continue to exacerbate injustices.

“Social justice must not take a back seat. We must keep stepping up, investing and doing everything we can to be a force for change,” she said, saying it was an honor to visit the White House during a government that with so many values ​​of the team.

Biden urged all Americans to continue to support women’s sports by appearing to games and growing the women’s sports business.

“So, as a nation, we need to support women’s sport, not just during the Olympics, but all year round, at any time of the year, by showing up in person or by watching TV,” he said. “These women are great athletes. They are the best in the world. We honor them by showing up for them.”

Biden also praised Storm’s five Olympians, including three who led the US team to the gold medal: Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Bird – who presented Biden with a Storm jersey.