The moment was brief, but its impact resonated far beyond the studio walls of The View.
Whoopi Goldberg, the iconic actress and co-host of the long-running daytime talk show, leaned forward in her chair during a segment on Brittney Griner. Her voice was steady, her tone deliberate.
“Don’t judge her for her skin color. Look at her talent.”
It wasn’t a headline-grabbing quote. It wasn’t performative or angry. But in a media landscape increasingly defined by sensationalism and soundbites, it stood out for its clarity — and its quiet defiance of a persistent undercurrent in American sports: the selective celebration of Black excellence.
The Context: Brittney Griner’s Complex Return to the Spotlight
Brittney Griner’s name has become synonymous with more than just basketball.
The 6-foot-9 center for the Phoenix Mercury has spent the past three years navigating a series of high-profile battles — from political imprisonment in Russia to contentious debates at home about gender, race, and fairness in women’s sports.
Her return to the WNBA in 2023, after nearly ten months of detainment abroad, was supposed to mark a new chapter. And in many ways, it has. But even with her on-court performances slowly regaining their former dominance, Griner remains the subject of scrutiny — often in ways her peers are not.
From social media ridicule to radio commentary, Griner has faced criticism that seems less about her basketball and more about everything else: her voice, her identity, her appearance, her politics.
And it’s that pattern that Goldberg chose to speak to.
Goldberg’s Defense: A Cultural Intervention, Not a Political Statement
In the June 10 episode of The View, Goldberg and her co-hosts were discussing a segment about WNBA player treatment — specifically the backlash faced by Griner following a flagrant foul call earlier in the week. The video had gone viral, with many fans using it as further proof that Griner “gets away with too much,” or conversely, that “she gets no protection from refs.”
Amid the noise, Goldberg’s comment cut through:
“We’re so quick to judge. But Brittney’s done the work. She’s earned her spot. And whether you agree with her or not — she deserves to be judged on her game, not her skin.”
The statement wasn’t new. Goldberg has long been an advocate for racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and fair representation in the media. But her timing, and her choice to defend Griner not as a political cause but as a professional athlete deserving of dignity, reframed the entire discussion.
“She reminded us that we’re watching a basketball player,” said Dr. Kendra Davis, a professor of sports and identity at NYU. “And that too often, we forget to see Black women in sports as just that — athletes, not symbols.”
Brittney Griner: A Career Defined by Dominance, and Distraction
To understand the power of Goldberg’s words, one must understand the career Griner has carved — and the obstacles that have come with it.
Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013, Griner has been a transformative force in the WNBA: a two-time Olympic gold medalist, multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year, and the first openly gay athlete signed to an endorsement deal by Nike.
Her shot-blocking ability, agility in the post, and disruptive defensive presence changed the way teams built offenses.
And yet, despite her credentials, Griner has rarely been embraced with the same enthusiasm afforded to other league stars.
“She’s been othered since day one,” said a former WNBA assistant coach, who asked to remain anonymous. “Too tall, too deep-voiced, too political, too gay, too outspoken. She checks every box that makes America uncomfortable.”
The Double Standard in Sports — and Beyond
Goldberg’s remarks, though measured, shine a light on a broader, more uncomfortable truth: that Black women in sports — especially those who do not conform to traditional standards of femininity — are held to a different standard.
When Caitlin Clark entered the league earlier this year, the contrast in public reception became glaring.
Clark was lauded (rightfully) for her talent, her poise, and her ability to draw massive audiences. But even neutral observers couldn’t ignore the racial dimension of the conversation.
“The coverage of Caitlin Clark is what coverage of Brittney Griner should’ve looked like ten years ago,” tweeted one sports writer. “Except Brittney didn’t get it — because America wasn’t ready for her.”
That tweet was shared over 100,000 times in a single weekend.
Why Goldberg’s Message Resonated
Goldberg didn’t frame her defense as a political fight. She framed it as a matter of fairness.
And that, say media scholars, is what made it land.
“She didn’t make Brittney a martyr,” said media critic Sean Abele. “She made her a worker. A talent. A professional doing her job. That’s the core of what needs to change in our cultural lens.”
Goldberg’s voice also matters because of who she is: a rare Black woman in mainstream daytime television, with decades of cultural capital — and the credibility to speak across lines.
“She used her platform not to stir outrage, but to re-center the conversation,” said Davis. “And we need more of that.”
The Broader Message: Let Talent Speak for Itself
In the weeks since the viral foul, Griner has — as always — kept quiet. No Twitter thread. No press conference. No op-ed. She lets her game speak.
And for Goldberg, that’s exactly the point.
“We ask women like Brittney to be everything,” she said. “To stand up for justice, to carry the weight of representation, and then to also dominate their sport. And when they do all of that — we still look for reasons to bring them down.”
Her co-hosts nodded in agreement. The audience applauded. And across sports media, the clip was shared widely — even by those who typically avoid daytime talk.
Moving Forward: Beyond the Applause
Goldberg’s defense of Griner isn’t likely to end the criticism. Nor should it silence valid commentary about athlete behavior, league politics, or media strategy.
But what it should do — and what it has done — is refocus the conversation.
In an era when public figures are constantly scrutinized through the lens of politics, identity, and ideology, Goldberg’s call is refreshingly simple:
Judge the performance. Not the person.
And when the person is judged, judge them by the same standard you’d apply to anyone else.
Final Thought: Respect as the Bare Minimum
Brittney Griner doesn’t need universal approval. She doesn’t need every sports fan to agree with her life or her politics.
What she — and athletes like her — need is the opportunity to be judged by what they do, not what they represent.
That’s the crux of Whoopi Goldberg’s message.
Not protest. Not defiance. Just fairness.
“Look at her talent,” Goldberg said. “That’s where the conversation should start. And maybe, if we do that more often, it’ll be where it ends too.”
