After a successful 2022 Women’s National Basketball Association season, the current champion Las Vegas Ice has been looking to make some profitable moves this season. previous The latest announcement from future Hall-of-Famer Candace Parker to join the franchiseAnd The Aces have agreed to trade their bench leader Derekah Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for negotiating rights for Amanda Zahoy B.. Hamby was drafted sixth overall in 2015 by the Aces’ predecessor, the San Antonio Stars, and remained with the organization until the most recent trade. she Two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year and two-time WNBA All-Star. Her story of motherhood has also been one of the Aces’ social media highlights.
in Posted on Instagram on Jan 21Hamby released a statement accusing Aces management of “hurtful” comments and behavior about the Los Angeles trade. “Being trafficked is part of the job, being lied to, bullied, manipulated and discriminated against is not,” the WNBA star admitted first. Occurred Extension for several years with the aces last June And She announced her pregnancy during the tournament’s run last September, which appears to be the root of the controversy. According to Hamby’s statement, the Aces accused her of signing the contract “knowingly pregnant” while calling it a “question mark,” saying she “didn’t hold up.” [her] end of the bargain”, blaming her on “not taking the necessary precautions not to get pregnant”.
Hamby explained in her post that she plans to return to work following her pregnancy and “pressed [herself] Over the [her] The entire load and she continued to practice…even on days when walking was uncomfortable.” However, the Aces allegedly didn’t think they worked hard enough and didn’t expect to be ready by the start of the season. Hamby called the behavior “unprofessional and unprofessional.” Moral”, especially for an organization “preach[es] Family, chemistry and female empowerment.” “We fought for provisions that would ultimately support and protect player fathers. This can’t be used against me now.”
This is by no means a minor issue, nor is it the WNBA’s first encounter with working moms. One of the most notable cases dates back to 2018 when Six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith Played the entire WNBA season pregnant. in 2020 interview with Women’s HealthDiggins-Smith revealed that a large part of her decision to hide the pregnancy was based on fear. “In the past, there were players I knew who only got half their salary,” Diggins-Smith said during the interview. Previously having to play outside to make ends meetPay cuts can present significant challenges for any player in the WNBA.
Another noteworthy example of pregnancy discrimination came from Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Sherrill Swoopes making her professional debut six weeks after her birth during the inaugural WNBA season in 1997. Swoopes She fought against harsh derision, uncertainty about her privilege, and public scrutiny of her fitness as a mother as a professional athlete. throughout the entire season. Proved that it is possible to play as a mother and The basketball world has called for a deeper look at this controversial issue. Considering Swoopes’ return to court and Diggins-Smith Calling for Working MomsWNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Association Enter into an agreement in a 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that guarantees players fully paid maternity leave, $5,000 salaries, and other benefits..
There are many aspects to be explored in the case of Hampi. First, Some compare WNBA players’ pregnancy to injury, a familiar analogy for men’s championships in the male-dominated world of professional sports. The logic is simple: if a player is injured, his market value as an athlete decreases, and the team has every right to trade him for an active player. However, being infected (as opposed to having children) is never about striving after anyone’s life. It is in the nature of the game to be injured, and the players bear some part of the responsibility for preventing themselves from getting injured – as every athlete reasonably does. However, whether or not to get pregnant should always be a person’s decision, because it is everyone’s right to get pregnant at any stage of their life. The complexity of this problem begs the question of how player load should fall into the market equation for professional players, and management’s attitude largely determines what the formula will look like. Secondly, in the spirit of women’s right to pregnancy when working, The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA) prohibits “discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.” However, after the trade, the player rarely suffers any loss of benefit or pay cut, which is consistent with both the PDA and the 2020 CBA. One might argue that Hamby’s scenario qualifies for what the PDA describes as “unfavorable task,” but this may necessitate further legal explanations. As a result of such vague clauses for the specific circumstances Hamby faces, jurisdiction in the case may boil down to alleged comments from Aces management. If it is true that the Aces called Hamby a “question mark” and wished her To turn away from Aries, it would be evidence of a clear discrimination of Aries.
The WNBPA has already launched its investigation into Hamby’s allegations and has promised to “ensure her rights” under Canada’s 2020 Penal Code as well as state and federal law.. Whether or not this particular case is a pregnancy highlight, it certainly warrants another look. The WNBA, given its long history of dealing with pregnant female players from its first WNBA season, should begin to explore ways and take action to better protect their working mothers in the league.