Wiggins Trashes WNBA Culture

[Plebe]

Add another voice of dissent to the list: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017...about-the-wnba-says-about-her-and-the-league/

Whoa. Kayte Christensen (played in the NBA for 6 seasons) was in no mood to pull punches. By far the most scathing response I've seen in print.

Well, I’m also a straight woman who was in a serious relationship throughout the course of my 6-year career (which would qualify as being “vocal in my identity as a straight woman”) and never ONCE was there an issue with that. Never once was there any form of jealousy or bullying. My boyfriend and I were not only welcomed with open arms but we both spent significant time with my teammates off the court. Is it possible that I was the exception? Hardly. I had multiple straight teammates who’s husbands and boyfriends shared the same experience. ...

The crazy thing about all the garbage Wiggins has spewed about her former employer and co-workers is that the WNBA from day one has been one of the most (if not the most) inclusive environments in professional sports. And that goes from the women on the court, coaches on the bench and executives in the front offices to the fans in stands. ...

But for Wiggins to take it a step further and say “The way I looked, the way I played – those things contributed to the tension,” is just another example of a deluded individual who apparently doesn’t understand the dynamics of professional sports. ...

When someone talks about the way they look working against them it screams EGO. I’ve got three words for you…get over yourself! You thought life in the WNBA was hard? If that’s how you look at yourself then life after isn’t going to be any easier.​

 

[Plebe]

Here's another searing takedown of Candice's allegations, courtesy of Chantel Tremitiere:

WNBA bullying claim 'made me sick to my stomach,' York grad says

I know now that you could have never played on my team because I would have been the FIRST to call you and check you on this. I guarantee the next day in practice you would have "hit the ground" on numerous occasions, not for being heterosexual, but for being stupid.​

I can PROMISE you one thing. Lesbians, whether they are in the league or not, don't really hate heterosexuals. They DO hate homophobic people. I will not make any assumptions about what kind of teammate you were. Making assumptions has obviously landed you in the inauspicious position you are now. Lesbians don't have time to hate on or bully anyone else because they are too busy fighting against the people who hate on or bully them.​

 

[UConnNick]

Is anyone surprised that the WNBA is predominantly filled with gay players. It may not be 98% but I would bet its around 70-75%.

Like it or not, it is one of the reasons the league has a lot of trouble gaining a more mainstream following.

I think this is unfortunately true. The league spent its first several seasons trying to minimize if not totally ignore that the majority of its players were gay. That may have seemed, or actually was necessary to build a more homogenous fanbase of straight and gay fans. It does seem that since the league decided to acknowledge the fact that most players are gay, attendance has been on a downward curve. It peaked during the era when the league was actively downplaying it. Maybe what the league thought would happen has happened regarding fan interest.

I don't know if there are parents out there who don't want to encourage their daughters to become fans or take them to games for that reason, although it's certainly likely that there are. You can label those folks as homophobes if you want to, but I can understand why they might not be comfortable with their children emulating a lifestyle that can make life considerably more challenging for their kids. It's not right to jump to that conclusion, but as a parent I understand why it's a valid concern to them.

We used to attend quite a few WNBA games and followed the league for its first several seasons, but we gradually lost interest in it, having nothing to do with the league's acknowledgment of its predominantly gay player composition. I personally couldn't care less whether male or female players are straight or gay. I value them based on performance, personality, or some combination of both. Sue Wicks was my favorite WNBA player from that era, and I believe she may have been one of the first players to openly state they were gay. But I get why some folks might have turned away because of it, and I'm not inclined to condemn anybody for exercising their own moral judgment about those things. You can think they're wrong, but they're entitled to their own opinion on that subject. It's not my job to judge what others think and do. I can disagree with it, but they're entitled to believe what they want to.

 

[DaddyChoc]

why did you lose interest... not sure I saw that in your post

 

[Plebe]

I think this is unfortunately true. The league spent its first several seasons trying to minimize if not totally ignore that the majority of its players were gay. That may have seemed, or actually was necessary to build a more homogenous fanbase of straight and gay fans. It does seem that since the league decided to acknowledge the fact that most players are gay, attendance has been on a downward curve.

When has the league ever issued any statement about how many of the players are gay? Somehow I missed that.

 

[noirwestern]

Stewie speaks out

www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18752317

Stewie's not finished.

 

[Plebe]

 

[Plebe]

 

[DaddyChoc]

 

[Plebe]

 

[UConnNick]

why did you lose interest... not sure I saw that in your post

I guess it may have been due to a combination of factors. Our child got older. We had season tickets at that time to the same NBA franchise. We would get preferential offers for tickets throughout the season because of that. We dropped those probably four years after the WNBA began, so we quit going to any of the games. We used to occasionally watch a game on TV but the local franchise folded a few years later so there were no longer any games in our local market. I've watched maybe a handful of playoff games during the past several seasons.

 

[UConnNick]

When has the league ever issued any statement about how many of the players are gay? Somehow I missed that.

I didn't indicate they published a list of names. They just chose to quit trying to hide the fact that the players are predominantly gay. I'd say it happened in the early to mid 2000's, IIRC. As I indicated, I think Sue Wicks was one of the first players to openly acknowledge she was gay, sometime around then.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I guess it may have been due to a combination of factors. Our child got older. We had season tickets at that time to the same NBA franchise. We would get preferential offers for tickets throughout the season because of that. We dropped those probably four years after the WNBA began, so we quit going to any of the games. We used to occasionally watch a game on TV but the local franchise folded a few years later so there were no longer any games in our local market. I've watched maybe a handful of playoff games during the past several seasons.

even more reason to attend unless the child is a boy

 

[Plebe]

I didn't indicate they published a list of names. They just chose to quit trying to hide the fact that the players are predominantly gay. I'd say it happened in the early to mid 2000's, IIRC. As I indicated, I think Sue Wicks was one of the first players to openly acknowledge she was gay, sometime around then.

I must be missing something. You earlier said that the league acknowledged that most of the players are gay. I did not ask you when the league published their names. What I asked was when the league made a statement about the sexual orientation of a majority of the players, which was what you indicated had occurred. I don't remember the league ever issuing a statement as to whether the players are "predominantly" of one sexual orientation or another.

Are you saying that because the league has opted not to force gay players to remain in the closet, and because a handful of gay players have opted to publicly acknowledge that they're gay, that this is tantamount to a league statement covering the majority of the players? Sounds like quite a leap.

 

[HuskyNan]

I don't know if there are parents out there who don't want to encourage their daughters to become fans or take them to games for that reason, although it's certainly likely that there are. You can label those folks as homophobes if you want to, but I can understand why they might not be comfortable with their children emulating a lifestyle that can make life considerably more challenging for their kids. It's not right to jump to that conclusion, but as a parent I understand why it's a valid concern to them.

'Splain to me how you can "encourage" someone to be gay.

 

[meyers7]

'Splain to me how you can "encourage" someone to be gay.

Not what Nick said. Read it again.

 

[HuskyNan]

Not what Nick said. Read it again.

Fine.

'Splain to me why lesbianism is a "lifestyle". Choosing an urban loft over a suburban townhouse is choosing a lifestyle. Being gay is like having blue eyes - it's something you're born with or it's not.

Good thing I have Meyers to fact check all of my posts. I do feel a bit stalked, though.

 

[meyers7]

Fine.

'Splain to me why lesbianism is a "lifestyle". Choosing an urban loft over a suburban townhouse is choosing a lifestyle. Being gay is like having blue eyes - it's something you're born with or it's not.

Good thing I have Meyers to fact check all of my posts. I do feel a bit stalked, though.

Well you know Mods have to be held to a higher level. Somebody's gotta watch the watchers.

 

[FASTEDDY]

I must be missing something. You earlier said that the league acknowledged that most of the players are gay. I did not ask you when the league published their names. What I asked was when the league made a statement about the sexual orientation of a majority of the players, which was what you indicated had occurred. I don't remember the league ever issuing a statement as to whether the players are "predominantly" of one sexual orientation or another.

Are you saying that because the league has opted not to force gay players to remain in the closet, and because a handful of gay players have opted to publicly acknowledge that they're gay, that this is tantamount to a league statement covering the majority of the players? Sounds like quite a leap.

Are you disagreeing with the popular (and I believe highly accurate) assertion that the majority (51% +) of WNBA players are gay?

Not that I agree with it, but many people will not want to attend games where there are a lot of overtly gay people around. Whatever their reasons are for this, its their choice. For many people, the gay issue just causes them to lose interest in the league. Its why the WNBA or any league doesn't want to spend a lot of time on this issue because its polarizing and does nothing at all to expand and solidify the fanbase.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

At UConn Stewie always struck me as one who pretty much stuck to business and kept her own counsel on stuff. A women of few words who spoke trough her game. So this is a surprise to me:

“You have to respect Candice,” Stewart said on ‘SportsCenter.’ “And like I said, if that’s her story, it sucks that that happened. But there is a lot missing in this story. For the league to find what’s missing and put the pieces together, make more sense than just ‘I was straight, and I was bullied for it.’ There’s a lot more to it, I’m sure.”

Breanna Stewart says she doesn’t share Candice Wiggins’ “toxic” experience in WNBA

Good on you Stewie. Good on you.

 

[Plebe]

Are you disagreeing with the popular (and I believe highly accurate) assertion that the majority (51% +) of WNBA players are gay?

Not that I agree with it, but many people will not want to attend games where there are a lot of overtly gay people around. Whatever their reasons are for this, its their choice. For many people, the gay issue just causes them to lose interest in the league. Its why the WNBA or any league doesn't want to spend a lot of time on this issue because its polarizing and does nothing at all to expand and solidify the fanbase.

This is totally beside the point. The exchange wasn't about my opinion. It was about what the league had (allegedly) done to "acknowledge" that "most" of its players are gay. Someone else said the league had "acknowledged" such a thing. My question is when and how did the league issue an "acknowledgement" of the sexual orientation of a majority of the players. So far I haven't heard an answer to that question.

 

[xHunt3r]

Are you disagreeing with the popular (and I believe highly accurate) assertion that the majority (51% +) of WNBA players are gay?

Not that I agree with it, but many people will not want to attend games where there are a lot of overtly gay people around. Whatever their reasons are for this, its their choice. For many people, the gay issue just causes them to lose interest in the league. Its why the WNBA or any league doesn't want to spend a lot of time on this issue because its polarizing and does nothing at all to expand and solidify the fanbase.

How do you know how accurate it is? Actually data on players sexual orientation is not recorded... anywhere. Everyone is just guessing and making assumptions. Just because some people guessed that the % is X, does make it true. People repeating that non fact based guessing doesn't make it true either.

 

[UConnNick]

'Splain to me how you can "encourage" someone to be gay.

I don't know, but there are parents out there who think that way. I know the stepson of someone who's a close, personal friend of a very high profile former women's BB player. His stepmother told him the player left the first college she attended after only a few weeks because the players were all trying to hit on her. She transferred to another school. About ten years after her college career was over, she publicly announced she was gay. People hear stories like those and draw their own conclusions. It doesn't matter to me. I have taken plenty of kids, including my own, to a lot of women's BB games. But it does matter to some people.

 

[UConnNick]

even more reason to attend unless the child is a boy

He was a boy at the time, although at times I took him to games with his male and female friends. Then they become teenagers and it's no longer cool to hang with your parents. Then they become young adults and it becomes cool again.

 

[UConnNick]

Not what Nick said. Read it again.

Yes, not what my original post indicated at all.