What We Talk About When We Talk About Brittney Griner

I thought this was a interesting, thoughtful piece. Lot of dudes (including some here) want female athletes to be better at their sport ("I'll watch 'em when they dunk!") but also want them to remain feminine. And they have no plans to watch either way, but it doesn't stop them from taking the occasional dig at women's basketball or Serena Williams' arms.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/tournament/2013/story/_/id/9065613/2013-ncaa-women-tournament-brittney-griner-backlash-not-us

 

Interesting read.

Also interesting that it comes from Kate Fagan, a columnist for espnW.com. As I don't pay attention to everything the ESPN brand does, I'm not positive but I think espnW.com is ESPN for women.

And why is it that women writers are the ones writing about women issues. If it is about sports, why isn't this story by any one of the giant stable of male writers ESPN employs?

Would it carry more weight if it came from Bill Simmons?

That's obviously a tangent but it seems like every time it is a woman issue, it is a female writer and I get tired of that.

As for the piece, *shrug* it just seems to be rehashing the same ground that gets covered every time a female athlete has huge success but not mainstream acceptance.

 

That's strange. I've just seen Griner as a 6'8 basketball player who's the best who ever played.

I see Serena as one of the greatest tennis players who ever played.

Was Kate writing about me?

 

Fans of women's sports accept converts more rudely, and with more skepticism, than pro-gay marriage supporters do.

 

Disagree. Griner's success -- and the backlash -- is very different that other successful athletes. You can get a sense of it in every story ever written about her that has on-line comments. "She's a dude! She has a dick! Talks like a man! She's a freak! A monster!" Fagan is right, there is a real obvious vibe going on in what people hate about her. It certainly doesn't exist for Ellana Dell Donne, who is tall and athletic too, but more traditionally feminine.

As for the whole "women writing about women's issues/topics is kind of annoying" complaint, it strikes me as bizarre, Jay. Fagan played college hoops. She has experience to go with insight. Who cares what Simmons might have to say about a subject he doesn't follow? I'm not going to sit here and pretend espnW is a regular stop on my daily tour, but as the father of two girls, I think it's a good thing. I've read a number of things there that were interesting. It certainly addresses stuff I wouldn't think about organically, and that's a good thing.

 

Clearly not. But are your feelings universal?

 

The Greatest Ever comes along a couple times every decade. Griner. Holdsclaw. Lobo. Leslie. Swoopes. Yawn.

 

Agree with DD on the way in which Griner is viewed by many. I'm pretty sure there was a discussion about her looking or talking like a guy on last year's women's tournament thread.

Yep, found it: http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/3308472/.

 

Not sure I understand your question.

And poin: There are 10 greatest evers in the collective. Griner is one of them.

 

She DOES sound like a guy. It's not sexist to say it. People talk about high-pitched men's voices too.

 

This is the main post from thread I linked to that shows the bullshit she deals with:

 

The No. 1 thing I get is asked is "So, any insight on whether she has a penis or not?"

Again, this is other's thoughts and not mine.