So…it has taken us a bit of time to process the election results. To say that they were disappointing is an understatement especially given that we already lived through such horrors from 2017 to 2021.
And while the Sophie Cunninghams of the world may very well be beaming, a lot of us watched said results on November 5th completely stunned – but at the same time not surprised at all.
We do however live in a highly racist and sexist country that hates being told the uncomfortable truth about itself. It is a common fact that any backers of the thing that over 75 million Americans sent back to Washington (when the only “house” he should be seeing the inside of is the big house) get more hurt when they are called out for engaging in racist and sexist acts as opposed to engaging in said racist and sexist acts.
In a micro sense, November 5th’s result told us that those who want to continue to use women’s sports as a means to achieve political ends that are sexist, racist and transphobic in nature have been emboldened. It is on us to ensure we stand up to these efforts because the realm of women’s sports is supposed to be for all – not only those who fit a hegemonic image.
Here are five aspects of how the women’s sports space should navigate what should be a rough four years.
White House visits
As was the case from 2017 to 2021 any women’s sports team – whether in pro or college – that claims a championship should not go anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The New York Liberty recently won the 2024 WNBA championship. As of today, there is still integrity at the White House thanks to Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. That, of course, will change on January 20, 2025 as class will once again be replaced with crass.
The Liberty hopefully will get that White House visit in prior to January 20. After that, one might as well treat it like a toxic waste dump given that it is about to once again be infested with toxic waste.
Title IX
If anyone is expecting Title IX’s provisions to be enforced with this White House, one is sadly mistaken.
One can already see through some of the creatures that are being chosen for this “administration” and it definitely harkens back to the 1980s when the White House was staffed by individuals who felt that Title IX was the “Lesbians’ Bill of Rights.”
Emboldened Racists
Remember how an unfortunate story of the 2024 WNBA season was how racists used Caitlin Clark as a conduit to mentally cripple other Black players?
Those racists have been emboldened by this year’s election result. If these garbage individuals felt some sort of way about Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington and Chennedy Carter before, that is sure to really be the case now.
And that is something that gets us to our next point.
White allies
We will really have our antennas up the next four years to see who is a real white ally and who is not.
After all, this election result happened in large part, once again, on the backs of white individuals. Yes – Black turnout dipped and Brown voters (Latino men in particular) moved right, but it was white voters who decided this thing.
A majority-Black sports league like the WNBA that also has a huge LGBTQ+ presence needs white allies more than ever. The W is trying to market its product to a broader and whiter audience, but that white audience needs to accept that they will see mostly Black faces when they either watch a game on television or attend a game in person.
The next few years will tell us who is a Breanna Stewart – and who is a Nick Bosa.
Trans athletes
It has been mentioned in many political circles that a huge issue late in the election was transgender athletes. Transgender athlete bans have taken root in a number of states and counties and red states in particular want to make it difficult for transgender individuals to simply live their lives.
Transgender individuals are simply human beings. While a few spineless politicians (including Democrats) want to throw the transgender community under the bus for this year’s heartbreak of an election result, the reality is the trans community needs the support of the broader public more than ever.
Their side hates because they hate others more than they love themselves. We must not give in to that temptation to hate.
This has nothing to do with being pro-Democratic or pro-Republican. It is about being pro-humanity.
