Whether it’s a player donating her entire salary to charity for three years running, teams showing up for Pride marches, or the league taking a strong stand on player activism, the WNBA has shown how much it values giving back to the broader community.
Now, the league is assisting its fans in doing the same.
When the WNBA season starts this Friday, the league will donate $5 of every ticket sold to one of six nonprofit organizations working to support health care, education, and women's reproductive rights.
For each ticket sale, the league will also send a young girl to a WNBA game for free, according to a press release on its site.
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The “Take A Seat, Take A Stand” campaign is a year-long initiative that coincides with the WNBA’s 22nd season.
Ticket buyers can choose to donate part of their tickets to the following organizations: Bright Pink, a national breast cancer awareness and prevention organization; GLSEN, which works with LGBTQ youth; It’s On Us, a movement aimed at preventing sexual assault in schools; MENTOR, a nationwide mentoring organization; Planned Parenthood; or The United State of Women.
In certain places, donations can also be made to local community organizations.
“For 22 years, the WNBA and its players – women playing at the highest level of their sport – have stood up as role models for millions of women and girls,” WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a statement Thursday. “With ‘Take a Seat, Take a Stand,’ we are proud to come together as a league to stand with our partner organizations, our fans, and the many inspiring women raising their voices for change in the current women’s movement.”
Read More: This WNBA Player Has Donated Her Entire Salary to Charity for Three Years Running
The WNBA has often been on the frontlines when it comes to embracing the role of social activism.
In 2016, players wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts in protest of police brutality — well ahead of quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s “Take A Knee” protests a year later. And while the league at first condemned the protests, doling out $5,000 fines to players who wore the t-shirts, it later walked back the fines and commended the players for their activism.
“Appreciate our players expressing themselves on matters important to them,” Borders tweeted at the time. “Rescinding imposed fines to show them even more support.”
Read More: How the NBA Is Quietly Becoming the Most Progressive Pro-Sports League in America
Now — again — the league is putting its money where its mouth is.
Fans can catch a game and give back to women and girls across the country by buying a ticket here. And Global Citizens can take action to support women and girls around the world here.