Every off-season, us fans can look forward to some exciting, head-turning news. Surprise trades, retirement announcements, etc. However, I don’t think any of us were prepared for the bomb that Candice Wiggins dropped on us yesterday.
The San Diego Tribune published an exclusive interview with the retired WNBA champion, where she opened up about her experience in the league over the course of her 10-year career. In addition to talking about her struggles playing for a young league, the piece paints a more dismal picture of the league, one completely different from the sisterhood many of us are accustomed to seeing.
Candice, who announced her retirement last March, talked about her reasons for ending her career despite having more basketball in her:
“I wanted to play two more seasons of WNBA, but the experience didn’t lend itself to my mental state,” Wiggins said. “It was a depressing state in the WNBA. It’s not watched. Our value is diminished. It can be quite hard. I didn’t like the culture inside the WNBA, and without revealing too much, it was toxic for me. … My spirit was being broken.”
Perhaps the most controversial part of this piece is where Candice also claims that she was often the subject harassment because of her heterosexuality:
“Me being heterosexual and straight, and being vocal in my identity as a straight woman was huge,” Wiggins said. “I would say 98 percent of the women in the WNBA are gay women. It was a conformist type of place. There was a whole different set of rules they (the other players) could apply.”
“There was a lot of jealousy and competition, and we’re all fighting for crumbs,” Wiggins said. “The way I looked, the way I played – those things contributed to the tension.
“People were deliberately trying to hurt me all of the time. I had never been called the B-word so many times in my life than I was in my rookie season. I’d never been thrown to the ground so much. The message was: ‘We want you to know we don’t like you.’ “
Candice also said she was disappointed by a culture in the league that encouraged women to look and act like men in the NBA.
“It comes to a point where you get compared so much to the men, you come to mirror the men,’ she said. “So many people think you have to look like a man, play like a man to get respect. I was the opposite. I was proud to a be a woman, and it didn’t fit well in that culture.”
Girl….
As one can imagine, this was not received well by many players, who took to social media to express their opinions. Among some of my favorite reactions:
How i feel reading the recent article about heterosexuals being bullied in the WNBA .. ?? pic.twitter.com/aGIgDMBNNR
— Tiffany Mitchell (@TiffMitch25) February 20, 2017
98 percent tho? Tried it.
— Danielle Robinson (@justDROB) February 20, 2017
98% of 144 players is what? The math doesn’t add up. At all, in any known universe. #alternativefacts https://t.co/u5ARq0btnX
— Hoopfeed.com (@hoopfeed) February 20, 2017
Women of the @wnba past, current, and future are phenomenal in all their uniqueness! We are the dream!!! #liftusup
— Mistie Bass (@A_Phoenix_Born) February 20, 2017
Girl…. 98%? So there’s approximately 3 straight women in the league? Was a survey conducted that we (and apparently the rest of the league) are not aware of? Where are those receipts?
There are so many things that are wrong with this article, but I won’t dissect every piece. What I will say is this: it is NEVER okay to use a broad brush to describe an entire group of people. The WNBA, along with all of the other major female sports leagues in America, have worked and continue to work tirelessly to combat these stupid stereotypes that prevent people from supporting and engaging in women’s sports, especially stereotypes centered around sexuality and gender roles. Making these comments feeds right into the stereotypes that marketers have used forever to discourage parents from allowing their daughters to play team sports, specifically basketball. To also give off the impression that homosexual women do embrace their femininity is even crazier. While many, if not most, female basketball players grew up watching the NBA, maybe…just maybe, they want to play like their fave NBA player because of they admire their skills and accomplishments, not because they want to be a man.
I will not discredit or downplay her individual experience, because I’m sure she has her reasons for feeling how she feels. It’s also understandable to feel discouraged after working so hard at your craft that many seem unappreciative of. However, to say that NOBODY cares abut the WNBA is false, and is an insult to fans and members of the media who not only attend the games, but defend and stand for the WNBA against naysayers.
After reading this, it seems as if her thoughts may have come from a personal issues perhaps with abother player(s). If that’s the case, then make that clear. From the encounters I’ve had with Candice, she has been very sweet, open, and a proud teammate, which makes this whole article even more disappointing. It is irresponsible and unprofessional to make a blanket statement about a league that prides itself on being inclusive and supportive of one another.
This entire piece is problematic AF, and I’m sitting here with my tea kettle waiting to hear how she reacts to the backlash…and the how the league responds as well.
In the meantime, Devereux, I’ll be waiting….
The next Down and Dirty will be about this article. And PLEASE BELIEVE you gone get the REAL deal. https://t.co/C0cGKYt4iq
— Devereaux Peters (@MsPeters14) February 20, 2017
(**The FULL original article can be found HERE**)
