Sports World Reacts to Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday morning, taking away the constitutional right to abortion that was established 50 years ago.

The decision allows states to outlaw or restrict abortions, and almost half are expected to do so including 13 that have trigger laws.

Following the ruling, teams, athletes, and other sports entities took to social media to share their reactions to the news.

Billie Jean King tweeted, “This decision will not end abortion. What it will end is safe and legal access to this vital medical procedure.”

A statement from the WNBPA called the ruling “out of touch with the country and any sense of human dignity,” adding, “we must vote like our lives depend on it. Because they do.”

“Now we have come to this: people have won the freedom to buy guns with impunity while women have lost the freedom to decide their own future. Furious and ready to fight,” the four-time WNBA champion Seattle Storm tweeted.

Sue Bird, a player for the Storm, tweeted, “Gutted” with a heartbreak emoji.

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman released a statement via the league’s Twitter: “Until every individual has the same freedoms as their neighbor, our work is not done.”

A number of NWSL teams posted statements: Angel City FC tweeted that it will not stay silent, and Gotham FC objected “any rollback of Roe v. Wade.”

Megan Rapinoe, a player for OL Reign and the USWNT, said, “It’s a really sad day. It’s a really hard thing to deal with for all of us.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Lauren Hobart announced on LinkedIn that if an employee lives in a state that restricts access to abortion, the company will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement. Patagonia, Netflix, and Tesla are among other companies who have made similar announcements.

TOGETHXR, founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird, tweeted “Disgusted, disappointed, disturbed. But, we are not done. We’ll never stop fighting.”

Both LeBron James and Naomi Osaka retweeted former President Barack Obama, who wrote, “The Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologies.”