SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The Oakland Roots on Friday condemned the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, making them the only major Bay Area professional sports team so far to issue a statement about the landmark ruling which struck down the constitutional right to an abortion.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
The Roots, along with their newly formed women's team, the Oakland Soul, and their men's developmental team, Project 51O, released a joint statement supporting abortion rights and accompanied it on social media with a link to Abortion Finder, an online tool which helps people locate verified abortion providers.
"Reproductive rights are human rights," the statement read. "Oakland has always fought to protect the right to choose, the right to love, and the right to vote. We will do the same, and we will not stop."
As of publication, no other prominent Bay Area professional sports team, including the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, San Jose Sharks, and San Jose Earthquakes, have commented on the decision.
There is precedent for sports teams to release remarks about political or social justice issues. For example, all of the aforementioned Bay Area teams in June, 2020 released statements about the police killing of George Floyd.
The National Women's Soccer League, and many of its teams, the WNBA and NBA jointly, and multiple WNBA teams have also released statements in support of abortion rights since Roe v. Wade came down.
The Roots, who since their inception in 2019 have been at the forefront of various social justice campaigns, are one of the only male sports teams in the U.S. to comment on the ruling.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
