South Carolina and UConn will play for the national championship in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
South Carolina’s team will likely remain in the locker room while the national anthem plays.
As noted by Insider, Dawn Staley’s team has been protesting the national anthem in some form since at least the beginning of 2021.
Staley told Andscape that it is to “bring awareness to racial injustice in our country.”
Not sure why South Carolina wasn’t around for National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/wZ3LTuPLoD
— Mark Hebert (@markhebert502) April 1, 2022
Insider had more on the protest:
Though the anthem is played at the Gamecocks’ home games, the team does not emerge from the locker room as it plays. But if, during away games, “opposing teams choose to play the anthem during the time we’re in the locker room, then we choose to stay in the locker room,” Staley further explained.
South Carolina has stayed true to that philosophy throughout this year’s NCAA tournament, according to beat reporters who have covered the Gamecocks’ full run. But, until now, all of their NCAA opponents had stayed off the floor for the anthem as well.
Louisville was on the floor for the national anthem at the Final Four earlier this week.
UConn and South Carolina are set to tip off at 8 p.m. E.T. on Sunday night. The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament national championship game will air on ESPN.
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