South Orange, NJ, October 31, 2022 – Although she was barely known while playing for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, 65 percent of American adults now know who Brittney Griner is.  

Who is Brittney Griner?

*Sports Fan = Avid + Casual fans

When informed of her current legal situation, 62 percent of the general population in the U.S. felt she is being used as a political pawn by the Russian government, with 24 percent saying she was not, and 14 percent saying "don't know/no opinion."

Given the war in Ukraine, and the United States' support for the Ukrainian government and its citizens, do you feel Brittney Griner is being used as a political pawn by the Russian government?

*Sports Fan = Avid + Casual fans

These were among the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted earlier this month among 1,579 adults across the country. The poll featured a national representative sample weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for gender, age, ethnicity, education, income and geography and has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.

Fair?
Perhaps surprisingly, although nearly two thirds of Americans surveyed thought that Brittney Griner was being used as a political pawn, the public is still mixed over whether she has been treated fairly throughout this year. When informed that her crime (hashish oil possession of less than two grams) is punishable by up to 15 days in prison (she received nine years), 43 percent of the general population called the imprisonment unfair, but almost an equal number – 41 percent – called it a fair punishment, with 16 percent at "don't know/no opinion." Those identifying themselves as sports fans closely matched the general population.

Is Brittney Griner's Russian imprisonment fair given the current Russian law?

*Sports Fan = Avid + Casual fans

Has the U.S. Done Enough?
Asked if the U.S. government had done enough to get her released, 36 percent of the general population said yes, with 31 percent saying no. Sports fans were more divided, with 40 percent saying yes and 33 percent no.

Based on what has been reported in the news, has the United States government done enough to get Brittney Griner released from Russian imprisonment?

*Sports Fan = Avid + Casual fans

"This is high stakes politics," said Professor Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management within Seton Hall's Stillman School of Business, which sponsors the Poll. "Ms. Griner is caught in the middle of a major moment of contention between superpowers. It is both complicated and delicate at the same time. And the American public is also torn in multiple directions."

An online version of this story with full questions and more charts is available here.

ABOUT THE POLL
The Seton Hall Sports Poll, conducted regularly since 2006, is performed by the Sharkey Institute within the Stillman School of Business. This poll was conducted online by YouGov Plc. using a national representative sample weighted according to gender, age, ethnicity, education, income and geography, based on U.S. Census Bureau figures. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S residents. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been chosen for inclusion in iPoll by Cornell's Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and its findings have been published everywhere from USA Today, ESPN, The New York Times, Washington Post, AP, and Reuters to CNBC, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Fox News and many points in between.

Media: Michael Ricciardelli, Associate Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University michael.ricciardelli@shu.edu, (908) 447-3034; Marty Appel, AppelPR@gmail.com