As the 2022-23 NBA season curtained down, the hoops community’s attention entirely turned to the WNBA regular season. The 12 franchises across the country go up against each other in a high-octane contest. However, a mishap at Dallas involving the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner brought in major scrutiny. Following the incident, the league issued an extensive change for the teams’ future.

Griner has been under the scanner ever since she returned from the Russian prison. The 6 ‘9 tall baller attracted a lot of eyes in the league after her return from a 10-month-long hiatus and faced constant criticism. Eventually, the situation went out of hand and the league has had to step in and establish a major change.

WNBA makes a massive change after Brittney Griner’s incident

Even though Brittney Griner has constantly stated the injustice caused from her perspective, a certain section of the public continues to heckle her. She even called for a movement to bring back struggling international prisoners from across international waters. Following the constant attacks, the Mercury management assigned a separate bodyguard for the star’s security.

Despite assigning security, however, she continues to face harassment. Notably, when Griner traveled alongside her teammates via a commercial airline, a man named Alex Stein harassed her at Dallas airport. 

Stein, a YouTuber, passed inappropriate comments at the hooper and he even pushed the security guard who stood between him and Griner. In response, the guard pushed Stein against the wall. However, the security guard didn’t press any charges against him. 

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Following the incident, the league took a major call on the already-scrutinized teams’ travel policy. The league has allowed teams to travel via private charters.

Why did the league allow teams to travel via private charters?

The WNBA players primarily took the commercial airlines to travel for their away games, citing the cost. However, after the introduction of public chartering service, JSX, the league allowed the teams to use these chartered flights for back-to-back away travels. Moreover, it further allows the teams to buyout the entire flight for their journey, reported ESPN. While the league had the travel policy under scrutiny for a long time, the Griner incident instigated the massive change. 

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What do you make of the public’s constant heckling at Brittney Griner after her unfortunate Russian prison days? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.