Update: Nine hours after this story was published, and after a flood of criticism on social media, a WNBA spokesperson sent Sportico the following statement: “Like other major sports leagues, we are exploring how best to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary. Nothing has been finalized at this time.” The statement came more than 36 hours after Sportico asked the league for comment.
The WNBA is planning to have its biggest stars wear USA 250 patches during this year’s All-Star Game, according to multiple people familiar with the plans, joining a handful of other leagues committed to publicly commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The red, white and blue patches were unveiled earlier this year by Fanatics in partnership with President Donald Trump. The league will have the patch added to jerseys during its All-Star Game on July 25 in Chicago, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the details have not yet been announced.
The WNBA was not part of the formal January announcement when the NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC and NASCAR—among others—announced that they would feature the patch on uniforms or the 250 logo in venue during various big events. Many WNBA players have also criticized Trump’s politics during both of his terms in the White House, pushing back on the president more than any other athletes in major U.S. leagues.
The semiquincentennial could be a difficult celebration to navigate for some sports leagues, particularly ones like the WNBA with a heavy contingent of players and fans who disagree with Trump’s policies and rhetoric. That will likely grow even more delicate as the planned 250th festivities grow more political. The UFC event marking the occasion will take place at the White House on June 14, Trump’s birthday; the president said earlier this week that a planned musical concert on the National Mall should be replaced with a MAGA rally after numerous performers dropped out.
Representatives for the WNBA and its players union declined to comment on the All-Star Game plans.
The patches will be featured on athletes across the country throughout the year. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks wore them in the Super Bowl, and they’re currently on the uniforms of the NBA Finals. Fanatics intends to also sell limited fan gear bearing the America 250 logo.
Fanatics and its league partners originally planned to unveil the patch at the White House in a ceremony with President Trump. After the ceremony was “postponed” due to a late January snowstorm, they sent out a press release with quotes from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, MLS commissioner Don Garber, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, UFC president Dana White, WWE president Nick Khan, NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.
All of those original league participants are Fanatics ecommerce partners. The WNBA is, too, though the basketball league was not mentioned. A rep for Fanatics didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on why; a rep for the White House said the administration was “pleased to see as many leagues as possible celebrate America’s 250th” and referred more specific questions to Fanatics.
The NWSL, which is not a Fanatics ecommerce partner, is not planning wear the USA 250 patches, according to someone familiar with the matter. Instead, the league is considering other various options to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary when it returns to play in July after its break for the men’s World Cup.
A number of prominent WNBA athletes past and present have vocally opposed Trump’s policies and his administration for at least a decade. During Trump’s first term, WNBA players initiated widespread protests in 2017 during the playing of the national anthem in response to police brutality, as Trump lashed out at athletes for taking that stance.
Three years later, Trump and many of the league’s stars clashed over Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. When Atlanta Dream co-owner and incumbent Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, echoed Trump’s opposition to the movement, members of her team actively campaigned against her reelection bid. She lost, and later she sold her stake in the franchise.
The Seattle Storm franchise endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. A number of New York Liberty players wore T-shirts in support of Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid.
Earlier this year, after two U.S. citizens were killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart brought an “Abolish ICE” sign onto the court for intro at an Unrivaled game. A few weeks later New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said Trump’s missile strikes on Iran were “grounds for impeachment.”
(This story has been updated in the third paragraph to clarify details around the America 250 January announcement.)