AESTHETICS AND SPORTS

THE UTOPIA OF THE OUTSIDERS

the triumph of the WNBA

By Posy DiPaolo

If you’ve never seen Paige Buecker on a Tik Tok feed, you need to stop what you’re doing, go on online, and watch the pure poetry that is Paige. I know I could barely believe what I was seeing the first time I saw her; she was still in college at UConn and like all pure Buecker compilations, she was controlling the court as if it were her personal orchestra. Her hair was slicked back in a tight ponytail, her posture was aggressive as she pushed her shoulders forward to make a Bueker defense-wall. She spread her limbs as far as they would go and stayed low to the ground making her impossible to move or get by. Confident, yes. I could feel that from the screen, but it was more than that. I felt her anger. I felt her drive. I felt her grace. The way she dribbled was like she was dancing on the court. I don’t even wanna mention, even though I am, the way she can shoot from anywhere she stands on that court. It was just a 30-second clip, but I was hooked. I fell in love with her in a bad way; Buecker was all I could think about.

But I have to admit that it was more than just the absolute grace with which she moved; it was about women, about women caring for women, about women taking over a space that had been closed off to them for years. The WNBA isn’t just a league; it’s a space that is culturally dominated by queer women, women of color, and sometimes both at the same time. The league is unique in American culture for being both a huge economic enterprise, marketed to the straightest, whitest, heterosexual men in the USA, and yet is entirely dominated by the sensibilities and aesthetics of outsider women. Out of the 144 of the women who play in the WNBA, 44 of them are out lesbians, that is a shocking 38% of the league. Compare those numbers to the overall population of the United States where only 1.4% of the women are out lesbians. I know what you’re thinking and I’m thinking it too — amazing. It is clear that the WNBA is a safe space, although it hasn’t always been like that.

Marketing Sue Bird

In the early 2000s the WNBA was marketed to men and what the league thought men wanted. They felt that women would support it no matter what and so grabbing the men and their money was the primary concern. The directives were clear: dress feminine, play straight, and don’t speak out. Repeat: feminine, straight, and not out! In 2002, Sue Bird, the No. 1 picks of the 2002 WNBA draft and perhaps the first great WNBA player, was told not to come out as a lesbian, that it would hurt her prospects and the league. Bird was the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick that year and it wasn’t until 2017 when she revealed she was in a relationship with Megan Rapinoe, one of the first iconic stars of women’s soccer. This incredible interdisciplinary sports power couple got engaged in 2020, 18 years after Bird’s silencing by the branding guidelines of the then WNBA. In 2007, John Amaechi was the first NBA player to publicly come out, but by then he had been out of the league for four years. In 2013, Jason Collins was the only out gay player in the history of the NBA. In the decade since, there has not been another out player in the NBA, at least yet. With 2 - 5% of the US population identifying as gay, the numbers don’t add up: there must be more. Or to go pro-math and pro-gay at the same time: with approximately 5,000 NBA players over the course of the history of the league, there is no way that only .02% of the league are gay.

Out, out Jason Collins

Today, WNBA women are celebrated for being themselves. It's not just that the players are out, they are out and sharing their out lives on social media: who they are dating; what they like about women; what they don’t like about women; going to clubs; drinking too much; dancing horribly; switching wardrobes with teammates; and wearing matching outfits. And here’s the beauty of it; they’ve gained huge social media followings for it. Natasha Hiderman and Courtny Williams, better known as the Studbudz, are teammates on the Minnesota Lynx who started broadcasting on Twitch. They came up with the name Studbudz because they are two studs that are buds. The stream consisted of their lives, their friendship, the game, and gave a rare glimpse into the private world of stars; how the All-Star team celebrated, what they could possibly be talking about off the court, and how close players become after being teammates. This was something that the news outlets could never accomplish.

The happy Studbudz

The Studbudz's Twitch bio reads: "Just two Stud Budz who hoop and live our best life," and they are just doing that. Their live streams started small, but have gained a massive following, especially after a 72-hour marathon during the WNBA All-Star Game where Hiederman fell asleep during the broadcast. Unlike Bird in 2002, the Studbudz with their bright pink hair are their own special aesthetic category; in fact, this is what would have been once considered outlandish behavior is now great marketing. Fans dress up in pink wigs and even the official team mascot wears one. The Studbudz are almost too real with their fans and yet too real has brought them 85.4k followers on Tik Tok.

Women athletes drive twice the social media engagement compared to their male counterparts, making them valuable brand influencers. Many of them get deals from big deal companies. And the once reticent league has encouraged players to influence to whatever level they want, allowing them to build personal brands while passively advertising the sport. Buecker is currently endorsed by Nike, Gatorade, Verizon, and Dunkin' Donuts and she was even featured in a Lamborghini commercial. Angel Reese has collaborated with Rebook, got her face on a batch of cereal boxes, Reese’s Puff’s, and became the first pro athlete to walk at a Victoria’s Secret show.

The WNBA is everywhere

The WNBA effect has even trickled down to college basketball, where Azzi Fudd has a large following of fans and supporters. Her podcast Fudd Around and Find Out has 20.8K subscribers who get to ride along for a first-hand account of her final year in college as a star athlete. And it’s not as if these women are not new to the spot light: “at just 14 years old, Fudd was the youngest member of the 2017 USA Women’s U16 National Team and contributed 8.0 points and 2.4 assists a game in the USA’s gold medal showing” and “one year later, and again the youngest member, she started all seven games for the 2018 USA U17 World Cup and averaged 9.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game for the USA squad that won gold with a perfect 7-0 record in Minsk, Belarus.”(“USA U19 Gold Medalist Azzi Fudd Named after Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Azzi - USA Basketball”) Fudd won gold in her three attempts for the FIBA under-19 Basketball World Cup. The point is that she is a child of social media and opens her life to the greater world, which has, for the moment, become the WNBA template. One might ask which has been more important for the ascendance of the WNBA: traditional feminism or social media?

With so many queer women in the WNBA there is a lot of dating throughout the league. For example, the recently retired power couples Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor and DiJonai Carrington and Nalyssa Smith. Many relationships begin as friendships with teammates. Can you imagine this happening in the NBA and it’s a natural part of the WNBA.

She's having fun

Basketball only came into my life because I saw a Paige Bueckner compilation and started watching her and the WNBA. I felt a closeness to these women on my screen. Similar to reality TV, I had a glimpse of a different life and suddenly I was mad at the people they were mad at and loved the people they loved. It was more than a sport, it was a form of living, a free life. But what I really fell in love with was the world they were living in and creating. Of all things, I never would have imagined a women’s copycat league of the NBA would offer a utopian glimpse of the future. So, when I go to the Valkyries, it’s to see a great game, but it’s also to see a new world for women, a world where they’ve celebrated and protected and everyone screams for their success.

©The CCA Arts Review and Posy DiPaolo