Story at glance
- Kelly Loeffler, former Georgia senator and co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, has opposed the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Her team’s players and the league have renounced her stance and openly petitioned for her removal.
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the franchise is “close to being sold.”
Weeks after Kelly Loeffler lost her job as a United States Senator, she’s in danger of losing a second position as co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
“As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized. Once the sale negotiation is concluded, additional information will be provided,” a WNBA spokesperson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported the story.
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If she ever had the support of her players, Loeffler lost it last year when she denounced the Black Lives Matter movement, calling it a “divisive” and “marxist” organization that “seeks to destroy the American principles.” While she resisted calls for her removal, her players, who endorsed her campaign opponent and wore “Vote Warnock” shirts at games, may get what they’ve been seeking yet.
In a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Loeffler demanded that the league distance itself from the Black Lives Matter movement and put an American flag on players’ jerseys instead. The predominantly Black league distanced itself from Loeffler instead and, along with its brother organization, embraced civil rights activism this season.
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“The WNBA is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people and we, along with the teams and players, will continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not served as a governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team,” the league said in a statement last July.
Loeffler holds a 49 percent stake in the franchise, which the Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported has lost $2 million dollars in the last two years (she told ESPN she has lost $10 million since buying the team). The majority owners Mary and John Brock, the former CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, have reportedly been providing financial information to potential buyers of the team.
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