Wiggins Trashes WNBA Culture

[Scotter]

Wiggins went from a college star with a promising rookie WNBA season to quickly being a barely functional WNBA player after the injuries started. I'm sure in that situation someone that had never really failed up until that point feels a need to look for outside reasons for the failure.

I did find the comments about playing like a guy interesting. I wonder how literally she meant that. When I project players forward to the NBA one of the main things I look for is to what degree they play basketball like a guy in terms of their skills, a particularly shooting form. Especially as the skill level to play in the WNBA continues to increase.

I agree with Wiggins in that she did not play like a guy. Her shooting form did not allow her to come off screens and shoot quickly. She couldn't really fade away. The difference in shooting form between Wiggins and someone like Maya is enormous. Her ability to finish driving to the basket was also limited. She quickly became a player limited to being a spot up shooter in the WNBA as she didn't have the shooting form or ball handling ability to create opportunities in a WNBA environment.

 

[Vowelguy]

So many are Quick to Discredit Candice's Words, but if it was a member of the LGBT Community saying she was bullied, they quickly agree,. even if they don't know all the facts/situation.

1) when you state something clearly false - 98% - funny how the rest of your comments are met with skepticism

2) uhh, well there's a long history of discrimination against LGBT, so yes it is much easier to believe in anti-gay discrimination

 

[topogigio]

I think Candace may have exaggerated her statistics regarding sexual identity in the WBNA, but she just may not be too far off. I believe her "league experiences" needs to be examined a bit more before people start criticizing her. The more I think about it, the more I believe the culture she described is very plausible.

 

[Plebe]

I think Candace may have exaggerated her statistics regarding sexual identity in the WBNA, but she just may not be too far off. I believe her "league experiences" needs to be examined a bit more before people start criticizing her. The more I think about it, the more I believe the culture she described is very plausible.

Somewhere right about now, Rene Portland is smiling.

 

[lne001]

One anecdote on this topic. My niece played and coached basketball from the age of 6 to 33 - playing rec league, AAU, high school, college (Div 3), coaching high school and college.

She is a lesbian, publicly coming out after high school. During a conversation once I asked her what percentage of the female players/coaches in her experience were lesbians. Her answer - 75%. If accurate, I'm sure the WNBA is higher.

I don't see how any of this matters, however.

 

[Los24]

She can't be making all this stuff up just to sell books. She also can't be the only player in the league that was bullied or uncomfortable with the style of play or number of gay players. What advantage would they have to publicly speak up?

I like to hear more before pre-judging one way or the other. I do not know why people would assume she is up to no good or being dishonest about her overall feelings when being in the league. As is often in life, feelings are not based on 100% facts, but perception of intention on certain actions/behaviors. However, she should scale back on the hyperbole a bit if she wants people to take what she has to say a bit more seriously in the book.

 

[dennismenace]

Glory Johnson had two babies in the past year - which side does she count on?


Doesn't pro beach volleyball have rules requiring participants to wear skimpy unis? It always seemed to me they were intentionally pandering to objectification.

I like this phraseology!

 

[iamcbs]

Candace Wiggins is an intelligent person and she had to know how her comments would be perceived. To say that 98% of any population is one thing or another is very provocative and renders every other point she made moot. I feel she's correct about public perception about the WNBA as it relates to acceptance by fans, if the NBA didn't subsidize the league it would have folded years ago. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the original eight WNBA franchises and operated from 1997 until 2003, the players on the team were beloved here Mery Andrade, Jenny Boucek, Jen Rizzotti, Lynette Woodard, Penny Taylor all spent time here, but no one went to the games. They would have promotions and events around the city and fans showed up in Rockers gear to support, but Gund Arena would be empty come game time, they averaged less the 3K fans per game. While I'm dubious of many of the claims Wiggins makes, especially her claims of rampant homosexuality and bullying because of her own sexuality, we all see that the WNBA doesn't have a lot of popularity. IMHO, this interview is a cry for relevancy from a woman that was a superstar on the college-level, whose skill and talent level didn't translate well to the pro game.

 

[Vowelguy]

I like to hear more before pre-judging one way or the other. I do not know why people would assume she is up to no good or being dishonest about her overall feelings when being in the league. .

Who has criticized her Feelings?

I criticized her use of a patently false number. THAT calls her honesty into question.

I don't doubt that she didn't fit in well. I doubt the reasons were as tidy as she suggests.

 

[Orangutan]

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I like iamcbs post above. I think there is truth, obviously, to the issue of lack of league popularity. Likewise, I don't doubt a "play like a guy mentality" (wouldn't phrase it that way, however); that is really acknowledging the difference in style between college and international ball and the WNBA. Is there bullying - probably to some extent, it seems endemic to sports teams, whether we would wish it were otherwise. Why in her case - don't know.

As to the percentage of gay players - even if over 50%, which I suppose is likely - why does it matter.

 

[Wbbfan1]

While I wasn't specific, if you read Twitter about Candace's remarks, there are many that discredit what she said and saying its only a comment to sell a book. I stand by my comment. There were many that were saying "IF" her comments are true, while if a Lesbian would make similar comments, many/most would just accept them as fact with the same amount of knowledge as they have in Candace's situation.

1) when you state something clearly false - 98% - funny how the rest of your comments are met with skepticism

2) uhh, well there's a long history of discrimination against LGBT, so yes it is much easier to believe in anti-gay discrimination

 

[CL82]

The 98% number is obviously hyperbole. Why does it matter?

The take away, as at least one other poster pointed out is that Candace had problems wherever she went and she looks to justify them by a "they just hate me because I'm so pretty" argument. I feel sorry for her and I hope she finds some peace in her future endeavors.

 

[Florida Fan]

Support from whom?

Did someone tell Wiggins that this was the right time to turn back the clock on tolerance? Beyond Candace's cumulative disappointment, her remarks do not serve any useful social benefit or help the league that needs to survive.

 

[Plebe]

Did someone tell Wiggins that this was the right time to turn back the clock on tolerance? Beyond Candace's cumulative disappointment, her remarks do not serve any useful social benefit or help the league that needs to survive.

This is the thing that gets me. Whatever may have been her actual experience and genuine perceptions, she just gay-baited the entire league. It's almost McCarthyite. Her ludicrous "98 percent" statement inevitably prompts people to start wondering which players may or may not be straight or gay. It makes heterosexual players out to be some sort of unicorn, and it casts a pall of guilt by association over any player who identifies as gay.

Her narrative — and again, I'm not questioning that she may have had negative experiences — plays right into the hands of all the haters whose two favorite talking points are the allegedly rampant lesbianism and the (by NBA standards) sparse attendance.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Well, Broadway is pretty gay too, doesn't mean the singing and dancing are no good. I hear that the league is and has had mostly gay players. Might even be challenging to straight kids sometimes, socially etc.
Bullying is a completely different story and is not based on sexual preferences. It's awful. And yes, NFL culture is beyond anyone's imagination, nasty and exploitative. Grown-ups playing kid games for money, not the NY Philharmonic.

Exactly what are you inferring here???

 

[BroadwayVa]

The more serious charge is that of "bullying" which may have an element of truth to it, but Wiggins undermines her own credibility with the claim that 98% of the players in the WNBA are gay. How can she possibly know the sexual preferences of 150 other players in the league?

Emotional people throw numbers around 86.3 percent of the time knowing 47.8 percent will understand those number are only to show their personal outrage 27.6 percent of the time.
I liked and like Candice Wiggins even when she devastated a Uconn team that I thought should have beaten Stanford. She's been called a lot of names here in--
I don't know this woman personally, or what her current conditions happen be---a bit ago to day i tried to be funny saying ---Judge not lest ye be judged---now I think it fits.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I suspect it's some mixture of both ("make stuff up" and "distorted perception").

One other possibility no one seems to be considering is that it's ~100% true. ???

In any case I expect there is some dose of truth in there somewhere (smoke/fire theory). As someone mentioned, she's a smart person - could she really be that tone deaf? Anyway I'm not sure "truth" is universal in this case. Everyone probably has their own truth - no 2 players treated exactly the same.

My admiration for Candice Wiggins as a Stanford player and all around nice kid---makes take a role of defender--I never saw her WNBA games, ever.
Perceptions be damned--she to me was exaggerating for effect--knowing full well the numbers were not exact. Or she had the infirmity of someone my age who know the exact number but it just won't be dumped from the brains computer.
If you knew the levels of defense i have given the local Gay community you'd realize I'm not phobic.
The bullying part --and wanting retribution--may have driven her to depths/heights she felt she had to pay back in some way--regardless of what the future may bring.
Regardless of the inaccurate numbers in every regard--she has something to say and said it.
Until I know the whole story--I'll be damned if I shall damn her.

 

[TitleTown]

The more serious charge is that of "bullying" which may have an element of truth to it, but Wiggins undermines her own credibility with the claim that 98% of the players in the WNBA are gay. How can she possibly know the sexual preferences of 150 other players in the league?

While I agree that the 98% figure she used is an exaggeration, there is little doubt that she as a straight woman was definitely in the minority. I am also pretty confident that the sexual preference of most players in the WNBA is common knowledge for another WNBA player.

 

[Vowelguy]

This is the thing that gets me. Whatever may have been her actual experience and genuine perceptions, she just gay-baited the entire league. It's almost McCarthyite. Her ludicrous "98 percent" statement inevitably prompts people to start wondering which players may or may not be straight or gay. It makes heterosexual players out to be some sort of unicorn, and it casts a pall of guilt by association over any player who identifies as gay.

Her narrative — and again, I'm not questioning that she may have had negative experiences — plays right into the hands of all the haters whose two favorite talking points are the allegedly rampant lesbianism and the (by NBA standards) sparse attendance.

drop the mic

 

[oldude]

While I agree that the 98% figure she used is an exaggeration, there is little doubt that she as a straight woman was definitely in the minority. I am also pretty confident that the sexual preference of most players in the WNBA is common knowledge for another WNBA player.

I don't know and really don't care about the sexual preferences of WNBA players. That is entirely their business. When you use qualifiers like "little doubt" and "pretty confident" that indicates to me that you don't know either.

I am concerned about bullying. If Ms Wiggins was bullied I would hope she discussed the bullying with coaches, team officials or a lawyer. If she has a public record documenting the abuse, she's on far more solid ground than throwing out some made up number like 98% of players are gay.

 

[Jeff H]

There are several quotes in the article that are just ridiculous. For example:

“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.”

Come on. How many WNBA players do you think really think feel like they " need to look like a man to get respect"? How many do you think are not proud to be a woman? Being gay does not mean you want to be more like the other sex.

 

[DefenseBB]

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Apply that to whatever part of the article you want.

This is actually a fairly serious admonition of the WNBA and should not be taken lightly. Yes, her numbers seem too high and whatever the number is, the level is between 40-75% if past discussions and articles are to be believed. I have some very limited knowledge of the WNBA via NBA Corporate office and her statements are substantiated to some degree. Here's my best analogy for you- military, police, firefighters all have had (still have) cultural bullying against non-heterosexuals and in this environment where these women have been in a cocoon since college where they hang out solely with each other. I absolutely believe there is hostility from the majority to the minority (they think it is their world) and I believe management is aware and unsure how to combat it without it becoming too public and causing public damage. For a 20 year league still struggling for a foothold this will be disastrous. Sad is my only comment.

 

[CTisballers]

So for 8 years you get bullied and just now speaking up about it. Jealous?? She sounds like the only jealous player because her career didn't go quite as well she as she wanted. And do she think all Volleyball players are straight?? Sad to even come with this true or not. I like Wiggins and loved her game. I'm sure some young girls do too but scare now to even wanna play in the WNBA after reading this article

 

[oldude]

Far too much speculation on this board on a subject as serious as this. As an intelligent young women and Stanford grad, I would hope Ms Wiggins could provide some proof of her charges.

I would note that in a similar bullying situation involving the Miami Dolphins, fellow Stanford grad Jonathan Martin provided text & VM documentation to the NFL implicating Richie Incognito as the ringleader of the abuse. The NFL investigation confirmed the abuse and appropriate steps were taken to correct the situation including the suspension of Incognito.

 

[DefenseBB]

There are several quotes in the article that are just ridiculous. For example:

“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.”

Come on. How many WNBA players do you think really think feel like they " need to look like a man to get respect"? How many do you think are not proud to be a woman? Being gay does not mean you want to be more like the other sex.

She said how she felt, you can't disagree with her feelings. If she said "so and so" is a racist, than you can disagree as that's an opinion. I completely respect your right to your opinion and am not even sure I disagree with some of your thoughts above, however we have heard too many people say they don't enjoy WCBB or the WNBA because it isn't what the men do. Sounds pretty coincidental to me.

 

[HuskyNan]

In doing a Google search I see Wiggins

Supported a gay athlete from Cal when he came out
Candice Wiggins | That's What She Said: A Bay Area Sports Blog

Supported Pride Night in Chicago
Pride Night important show of support

As well as supporting the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Network
The Bay Area Reporter Online | Sharks send mixed signals on LGBT night

If she has a problem with the WNBA, it doesn't appear to be based in homophobia. People should do some research before tacking labels onto someone.

 

[Plebe]

In doing a Google search I see Wiggins

Supported a gay athlete from Cal when he came out
Candice Wiggins | That's What She Said: A Bay Area Sports Blog

Supported Pride Night in Chicago
Pride Night important show of support

As well as supporting the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Network
The Bay Area Reporter Online | Sharks send mixed signals on LGBT night

If she has a problem with the WNBA, it doesn't appear to be based in homophobia. People should do some research before tacking labels onto someone.

I appreciate these links you tracked down. But I would also submit that homophobia is not a black-and-white, you-are-or-you-aren't type of thing.

 

[Kaizen]

Is this a fake news? seriously ...

 

[Kmoney]

Ok, let me see if I got this straight (bad pun). She feels uncomfortable being a heterosexual minority in a league that is dominated by homosexuals. I would love to hear her opinion on all the homosexuals that suffered alone and silently for years in the closet. Would she prefer they go back? Has she ever thought of suicide due to all of the homosexual pressure? I doubt it.
Duke and Stanford have both taken hits to their academic reputations this week. First, Kyrie Irving thinks the world is flat and now this.