Flavor Flav and Hillary Clinton Are Fighting for WNBA Fans’ Right to Call Out Thursday
The championship scheduling misfire is continuing to draw attention.
WNBA fans hoping to skip out on work to catch Game 6 of the finals are getting help from Flavor Flav and Hillary Clinton.
There’s been an uproar in the world of women’s basketball this week after it was announced that Game 6 between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream would be played at 12:30pm ET (9:30am for west coast viewers) on Thursday. The playoffs are currently sitting with the Valkyries having won three games and the Dream with two wins under their belt, meaning this could very well be the championship game if the Valkyries take it home.
And it’s happening in the middle of the workday.
“Call in sick,” Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton told fans during a press conference. “I recommend it.”
That’s basically the only option dedicated fans have at this point, other than missing what could be a monumental occasion for the Valkyries. It’s a bad position to be in, compounded by the fact that the preventable scheduling conflicts that led to this have been making fans feel as if women’s sports are, yet again, being disrespected.
But they’ve found an enthusiastic supporter in rapper Flavor Flav, who drew up a fill-in-the-blank letter for WNBA fans to use to request time off to watch the game.
“Please excuse ______ from work for the entire day on Thursday,” the letter reads. “There is a very important WNBA Women’s Finals game between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, tipping off at 12:30pm EST.”
The letter goes on to drive home the point that everybody should support women’s sports and consider this a “contribution to gender equality,” with the rapper signing off as both “The World’s Greatest Hype Man” and “Official Supporter of Women’s Sports.”
To be clear, this isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. The rapper has become a notable advocate for women’s sports in recent years, which has included sponsoring Olympic teams, hosting celebratory events, and, of course, showing up in person to cheer on female athletes.
His open letter to employers gained traction online among those who appreciated the sentiment and even a few who suggested they might even try to pass it along to their boss.
And as if Flavor Flav’s request wasn’t already more than enough on its own, it was subsequently endorsed by Hillary Clinton. The former U.S. Secretary of State reshared the letter itself along with the rapper’s commentary that “Thursday is a paid holiday. Because Flavor Flav said so.”
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Of course, not everyone can simply take time off work to watch a basketball game, which is why it’s so loathsome that the game was scheduled in a way that will force so many fans to miss out. But for those with bosses who are particularly susceptible to requests from Flavor Flav or Clinton, hopefully this note does some good.
