Why Men Hate Lesbians...

-- Let me preface this by saying this is all in good fun and not meant to offend ANYONE! That said, here we go -- You always hear about men having lesbian fantasies, or how they thing its hot for two women to hook up. So why then, do people always use the "lesbian factor" as an excuse to hate womens basketball? I'll tell you why: because men love lesbians, as long as they're straight. I realize a straight lesbian is a total oxymoron. But what I mean is, men don't mind girls getting drunk and making out with each other, or singing songs about kissing girls, because at the end of the day, those same girls are still in the market for men. Meaning the guys still have a chance to have sex with them. But as soon as you remove the do-ability factor, the hope that he might have a chance at getting her in bed, men all the sudden are just not that interested. Random men come up to me all the time and tell me, "I could take you 1 on 1." It doesn't matter if they're 50 pounds overweight or haven't picked up a basketball since high school. For their ego to stay in tact, they need to sincerely believe its impossible to get beat by a girl. The same applies in relationships. A guy imagining another man being able to satisfy a woman better is uncomfortable. But to think a woman could do it? Now that's just downright insulting! What you men have to understand is that its not even about you. For example, if a guy I was dating came to me and said he was attracted to men, should I get mad and assume its because my sex was terrible? No, because obviously a man can offer him something very different than I can. And if that's what he wants, there is NOTHING I can do for him. Same thing! If a woman truly wants a woman, then it has nothing to do with the quality, or lack thereof, of your "lovin". Now I know its going to take y'all a little while to internalize this information. So in the meantime, here are some tips to enjoying the WNBA this summer: 1. Pay attention and appreciate the basketball being played (similar to listening to a woman with a degree from Harvard talk instead of staring at her boobs - it won't kill you, I promise) 2. Bring you daughter and her AAU teammates. You can check out our dancers while they enjoy the game (our dancers are pretty hot) 3. Come with your hot wife and enjoy watching men AND women checking her out with the knowledge that you can "hit it" anytime you want (lol) 4. And finally, fantasize about the straight players that you can still dream about doing (there are A LOT of us, and this is probably the easiest solution for you) I look forward to seeing you all at a WNBA game this summer! Opening day is June 6th. LOL

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• AlanaG said March 25, 2009

  Hahaha but are there some men who might enjoy the challenge of trying to convert a gay woman to the other team?
  
  "Lesbian factor" or not, keep working on that WNBA uniform change initiative and that might get more men into the sport!

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  • kpotter replied April 23, 2009

    I played Division I women's college basketball, infact, I played against you Chantelle, yet I have never attended a WNBA game and most likely never will. Quit frankly, women's basketball plays second fiddle to men's basketball because of a lower level of skill and athleticism more than some convoluted theory about men hating lesbians. You mentioned earlier in a response to a post that you prefer to avoid the "fluff." However, your ill-informed comments make your argument just that; fluff. Also, your arguments as to why men should attend WNBA games are utter nonsense. Perhaps you should stick to topics you have personal experience with. It is clear that marriage ain't one of them. Parties and fraternizing with NBA players seems to be more your speed!
• Chantelle7 said March 25, 2009

  Some people may wonder why I posted an article like this. It's because the issue of sexuality comes up in at least 75% of the candid conversations I have with non-fans of the WNBA. I've never been one to walk around the pink rhino in the room, so lets talk. I encourage everyone to be candid, RESPECTFUL, and lets just have a conversation.

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  • mikeygboi replied March 27, 2009

    Thank you for starting the discussion; you're smart, lovely and right on the frickin mark....
• Shanelle626 said March 25, 2009

  Girl, you out the gate with the controversy! But I agree. I think a lot oft men are only comfortable with bisexual women and not the true "I have no interest in your pee pee" crowd. Maybe it's intolerance, maybe it's pride or maybe they just can't wrap their brains around the idea that there are people that aren't as amazed with their pee pees as they are. Who knows? But I will say that this, even in one of the most gay tolerant areas of the country (the SF Bay) there are still people (men AND women) who are openly hostile toward lesbian women. I was surprised (and disappointed) when my gay friends relayed some of their stories.

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  • AlanaG replied March 25, 2009

    Ignorance lives everywhere!!
    • Wheelman replied April 01, 2009

      What gets me is that intolerant men act like there`s a shortage of attractive hetero females in the world. "Youse can`t be a lezbo, I may wanna hit on ya someday!"
  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    lol. ya, i refuse to spend my time writing about fluff. lol.
    • Ras121 replied March 31, 2009

      when you talk you seem to grasp all the concepts and the feelings of both sides of the conversation I respect that.
  • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

    "...they just can't wrap their brains around the idea that there are people that aren't amazed with their pee pees as they are." Yeah that shows great respect towards men. And what's wrong with being openly hostile toward lesbian woman? Chantelle is openly hostile toward men.
    • Chantelle7 replied May 11, 2009

      i am not hostile towards men. once again, you're missing the point.
• mkrobcom said March 25, 2009

  I think that men feel that since you guys are so aggressive while playing ball that you are lesbians. Those aren't men those are boys, real men find out for themselves whether you are a lesbian or not. The fact that you "could be" lesbians have nothing to do with them hating women's basketball, they hate it because the media basically tells them to. Most people feel sports are for men only and if you play sports as a woman, you are considered a lesbian. My take is Lesbian or not, a baller is a baller.

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  • AlanaG replied March 25, 2009

    Good point about the media. I know people who hate on the WNBA who have never even been to a game to see how entertaining it is!
  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    good point. i wish more men felt like this.
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      But why don't you wish more women felt like that? Women aren't going to games any more than men are.
  • demetairsbell replied March 26, 2009

    Men already know if a woman is a lesbian because in most cases, the woman will not hide the fact that she's a lesbian. Some men do get off on seeing 2 females go at it, why is beyond me. I can't speak for anyone but myself, the type of lesbians that are disliked are the ones that go overboard to prove their "masculinity", trying to be more of a man than a man. Just like the gay men that try to be more of a woman than a woman. I guess the thing I fail to comprehend is why does female basketball player and lesbian almost seems to be synonymous? What rule states that in order to love women athletics you have to do away with feminimity? That ladies, is what men dislike. I refrain from using the word hate because that's a strong word.
    • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

      female basketball and lesbian is not synonymous. and thats the close minded thinking that makes people prejudice against the WNBA. there are straight girls in the league and there are pretty girls also. everyone just wants to generalize and say we're all a certain way.
      • demetairsbell replied March 27, 2009

        I didn't say that it is synonymous, it just seems that way. Alot of people assume most of the females in the league are lesbians, but I don't believe that. The point I was trying to make is a woman doesn't have to lose her feminimity simply because she loves sports. I don't generalize and I'm well aware that there are beautiful sistas in the WNBA. My only point is that a woman doesn't have to be parrelled with lesbians based on her love of the game.
    • LakotaStorm replied April 04, 2009

      you are pretty far off base with your comment. You say you can't speak for anyone but yourself, does that mean you are a lesbian trying to act like a man? Your post holds more stereotypes then any other comment that I have read so far. You think you really know what men really dislike about lesbians and basketball? There certainly are many lesbians that hide the fact that they are lesbians; I happen to know many of such sad women. Thankfully Sheryl Swoopes finally came out because it was so funny to read so many of the comments of who she could not be one.......until she actually came out as one, and let me tell you demetar men found reasons to hate her because then they could no longer fantasize that she might one day be theirs. Please try to stick to facts that you know rather then speculating.
• petrel said March 25, 2009

  I tried to come up with a coherent comment, but such ignorance is so flabbergasting than one is forced to ape the Emperor Augustus, throw up one's hands, and exclaim "Words fail me! Nothing I say can convey my depth of feeling in this manner!"
  

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• thatGAgirl said March 25, 2009

  i completely agree with this. for most of my male friends at least, 'lesbian' is just code word for threesome. however, i think its a little more to why men use the lesbian factor to hate on women's basketball. i think its tough for some men to come to grips that a woman could be better than them at anything sports related, but especially such a male dominated sport as basketball. so when these ladies are ballin like they do, there's got to be an explanation right? of course, she has to be a lesbian! women trying to be men = lesbians to some. and when i've had this conversation with guys about women's bball, that's how a lot of them see it. women being 'manly', playing whats deemed a 'mans game' (very badly) they say. most of them haven't actually seen a game since they went to their little sisters JV game 20 years ago. like i told a dude recently, 'this ain't yo mama's game.' hey, i like that slogan for the WNBA 2009! ;)

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    ya, it's like it makes them less of a man bc we're good at "a man's sport". thats why i said, on or off the court, it's not really about them! i chose the lesbian angle bc men ask me about it all the time. so many men, within the first 2 convos, are like, "so you date girls too? you know how y'all ballers are..." i hate the assumptions, but more importantly, i hate when people use that as an excuse to dis the WNBA. i don't care if they don't want to watch us play, but i can't stand when they say it's because we're all gay. also bc i feel like the WNBA pretends like its not an issue when it is.
    • cbenja3 replied April 09, 2009

      I was going to say the exact same thing. The WNBA ignores issues like this which is stupid. I live in Atlanta and go to Dream games. But it looks like gay pride every time I go. I have no problem with that but from a business standpoint they should cater to those people. But because they are trying to appease to homophobes they lose money. Plus most other male athletes that I know don't bash women sports because they know how hard we work. Its those losers who don't play sports who down it.
      • wetzelkm replied April 21, 2009

        I totally agree with this comment. It gets complicated because The lesbian stereotype is a turn off for some men, and so any gayness within the WNBA is typically downplayed, but this is a turn off for the huge lesbian fan base following the WNBA. So this creates a lose lose situation. Until this country reaches a point when both women and the GLBT community are considered worthy and equal to men and heterosexuals then Lesbianism, when present, will continually be downplayed and the lesbian stereotype will ostracize fans and prevent the WNBA fan base from growing. Trying to prevent this perception of the lesbian stereotype will prevent the actual lesbian fan base from growing, so its a vicious cycle that is unhealthy when building popularity for women's basketball.
  • grmd61 replied March 26, 2009

    The men approaching you with that question are trying to provoke you into trying to bed them and prove them wrong. They feel left out and can't stand the fact that a woman can satisfy another woman better than most men can. It's part vanity and part jealousy that these men are feeling. Howthreating for them to feel that they are irrelevant. Anyway, that is one 63 year old woman's feeling on the matter. Good blog.
• HarryPotter said March 25, 2009

  Chantelle, what do you think the proportion of lesbians in the wnba is compared to gays in the nba or other male leagues?

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    that would be impossible to tell. i do believe that there are more lesbians in the WNBA than gays in the NBA. that said, there ARE gays in the NBA. just like there are women in the WNBA that you think are lesbian but are straight, there are men in the NBA that you would think are straight but are really gay. the thing about it is it's easy for people to call us gay and dismiss it. but you start saying crazy stuff about the "gods" in the NBA and people freak out! society is just not ready to think about gays in the NBA, NFL, or Major League Baseball.
    • grmd61 replied March 26, 2009

      How about all the homophobic MMA fans who are afraid one of their favorite fighters may be gay? Ridiculous isn't it? What the hell difference would it make anyway?
• Smashmauf said March 25, 2009

  Hi Chantelle,
  
  The issue is not that men hate Lesbians even in regards to the WNBA. The fact is guys are tough on each other; it is part of male trait or characteristic. It is not a sex thing, a lot of the ladies in the WNBA are not winning any Miss Hawaiian Tropic contests or a runway gig or any of the exaggerated notions of what is sexy. It is not about removing the sex thing as much as because like you already alluded to, men just want to have sex with a woman (regardless of if what kind of woman or what she calls herself), the Lesbian thing just mean she probably will not be having sexual relations with a man anytime in the forseable future. Men do not see a Lesbian as no longer being a woman. The WNBA struggles with gaining a male audience because at the grassroot levels the competition is not great. That is the fact. There just as many quality women's programs at the grassroot levels to create a strong male interest in the women's game. The Lesbians in the WNBA thing just further depletes whatever interest there could have been in the gendre. If a guy is going to spend money to either watch a NBA game or a WNBA game - it is a no brainer choice. The NBA has better competition, cheerleaders, anyone can go (you do not run the risk of alienating your lesbian friend for example;) and, of course for guys there is no incentive to go to an NBA game for sex just as much as there is no incentive to go to a WNBA game for sex. It is a no-brainer. The issue is competition, not Lesbianism. Men like competition but mainly we like to win. If a young male boy can learn how to crossover against his buddies from a WNBA player then maybe he might be inclined to watch the WNBA.
  
  Hope that helps.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    first of all, thanks for such a thoughtful response. i know there are a few reasons men are not big into the WNBA, but i chose to write about the issue of sexuality bc its the one that gets brought up the most. a couple points though: 1. the WNBA doesn't compete with the NBA. the seasons are different times of the year, and our tickets are much cheaper haha. 2. the competition is not "better" its just different. the women's game is a different game. period. you won't c dunks all over the place but you will see good, competitive basketball played by highly skilled players that could definitely teach a young man how to cross someone over.
    that said, i think if men gave the WNBA a chance instead of subscribing to stereotypes that are out there, they would be pleasantly surprised. you said there are not programs at the grassroots level to get men interested. so what do you think the WNBA could do to make men more interested in coming to games?
    • Scarab replied March 25, 2009

      Chantelle - spot on with point #2
    • Smashmauf replied March 25, 2009

      That is a loaded question. It seems to me that the best way is to appeal to the family instincts or interests in men. If the WNBA can appeal to families better than the NBA then more men will show up to the games. (Marketing the game as a different type of competition just is not the same thing. Different to what end? Study Candace Parker's game over Kobe Bryant's? I do not think that will go over well in the play ground). And that's where it is at. The playgrounds are a good place to start. Maybe the WNBA can do tours of playgrounds across the nation and challenge some guys and some girls. It seems trivial but I bet any money that the male attendance at games will go up. Kids will be talking about it in the playgrounds, father's will want to take their daughters, girls will be more interested, it is a win-win situation. Basketball goes back to the playgrounds, guys talk about all the games. The WNBA might be able to gain a larger audience if it appeals to families because it is a social thing that includes everyone. I think that would work.
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        we do a lot of marketing to families and promotions to make it more affordable to bring the kids to a game. we do a dad's and daughters night every year. also, it's not feasible to have us go play on the playground as a way of marketing. it would take one time for one of us to get hurt bc some guy doesn't know how to play but doesn't want to get "shown up by a girl" and does something stupid. but ya, hopefully we'll get to you guys somehow! haha.
    • GGtheOldMan replied March 25, 2009

      Chantelle, I think this stigma will change with time. Maybe there was a time (not that long ago) when men associated WNBA or womens basketball period with lesbians. However nowadays so many fathers have their daughters competing in youth basketball ( I am an example). The result is I 've watched womens basketball with my daughter and have come to respect and enjoy it. WNBA is more team orientated instead of individual athlete orientated like the NBA. I enjoy both.
    • phightins26 replied March 26, 2009

      if the beautiful game (soccer) can't catch on in the states, the WNBA has ZERO chance of ever becoming relevant.
      • BenPhranklin replied March 27, 2009

        i agree.... soccer is a great sport to watch, yet somehow theres no chance for it here.... some things i can not explain.
      • Wheelman replied April 01, 2009

        The problem for soccer and presumably the WNBA, is market saturation. There are simply too many sports venues that are established, for new ones to catch on. Case in point, how many different pro soccer leagues have there been here in the States? Eons ago when Pelee was playing for the then New York team, the sportswriters were all gaga about soccer. Now, I can`t even remember the name of that league.With ticket prices ever rising, the competition for disposable income becomes keener. With the current sag in the economy that competition can only heat up.
• Smashmauf said March 25, 2009

  ***Correction*** "There just are not as many quality women's programs at the grassroot levels...."

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• giantsrepeat said March 25, 2009

  As a straight male, I have no problem with lesbians. I can't blame them for wanting what they want. And I do not know if you are a lesbian or not, but you are an extremely attractive woman, Peace out girl.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    thank you very much! and i'm not saying all men hate lesbians. it was just a catchy title. this was more about them using it as an excuse to hate on the WNBA. just wanted to get people talking about something interesting ;-)
• eagles4ever05 said March 25, 2009

  A simple strait and to the point post.I really dont have a opinion on the whole gay thing except for just follow your instincts and dont let people tell you who to like.and Yea I am going to say your are kinda right about the whole do-ability factor. Not for me though for some guys . I'll shuttup now.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    thank you. and no, don't shut up! this wasn't to male bash! its to get people talking. not that all men think like that, but some of them do, and i've had a lot of convos with those kind of men i guess, haha. i just want people to appreciate the high level of bball being played on the court and not worry so much about the other stuff. =)
    • eagles4ever05 replied March 25, 2009

      I watched about 4-5 games of WNBA and I never thought they were lesbians I just thought they were just great basketball players. People who think they are living in a dream world and I will also say that most/alot of the in the WNBA are attractive I have to admit I had a crush on Cnadace Parker for awhile[fine I still do ask some my friends man I was trying to get her autograph like there was no tommorow to bad I dont have one yet]. The WNBA has some of the best ballers in America and I guess I'll keep Talking.
      • eagles4ever05 replied March 25, 2009

        and I didnt take it as bash no man should its not like your encouraging a riot against men or anything
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        i think a lot of people feel like that. and thats a good thing about Candace bc she's really opened people's eyes to the WNBA. she's not the only attractive athlete and i think its a good thing that people are starting to realize that too.
      • eagles4ever05 replied March 26, 2009

        yea the WNBA doesnt get a lot of credit
• STLnTDOT said March 25, 2009

  LMFAO!!! All I can say is priceless!!! And Im just loving that you actually said it!
  
  Guys can come on here and say thats not what its about .. but it is lol! And yeah it is about competition.. guys feel its bad enough that they have to compete with each other to get women so they dont want to have to compete with women as well!

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• STLnTDOT said March 25, 2009

  LOL it is all about competition... guys compete for women with other guys... you throw another chick up in there that a guy thinks he needs to compete with and loses... then there is an issue lol!
  
  Im lovin that you put this out there like that.
  
  Guys who use the excuse of there being lesbians in the WNBA as the reason they don't watch need to just get a grip... cause if that is seriously their real reason then they have some very fragile ego's.
  
  Women's ball is different and men need to realize that and not watch a WNBA game thinking they are going to see above the rim ball.
  
  I think the WNBA needs to market its self correctly to its own market before trying to reach out to get men to come to games.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

    ya, i mean people can have their opinions and it doesn't bother me. whatever works for you you know? but i don't like the ignorant stereotyping. i play basketball therefore i'm gay...NO! the two are mutually exclusive. one does not imply the other. that's all i want people to understand.
    • gbadair replied March 30, 2009

      I was not commenting on all players, I was only commenting on why I think some guys might not like lesbians. And that it had to do with competiton, and I was really responding to the comment before my own. I was not stereotyping anyone if you took the time to actually read my comment. Who's stereotyping who?
• steiny31 said March 25, 2009

  Chantelle, I just wanted to say I really respect you because you are not afraid to say what is on your mind. This post really got me thinking and I realzed that more than 50 percent of men just care about getting girls in bed. It is crazy. Be well, all the best -Steiny

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• hockeychick23 said March 25, 2009

  You say what's on your mind, and oh how true it is. Maybe not all guys are that way, but I know of a few guys who are that way. It's awesome when it's two straight girls kissing, as long as they get action themselves. But when it comes to an actual lesbian couple, they are so against it. You know unless they are what they consider "hot"

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  • giantsrepeat replied March 25, 2009

    Suddenly it is getting warm in here.
    • Chantelle7 replied March 25, 2009

      lol. ya, its bc there is so much more to this topic than i mentioned, and no one ever talks about it. but don't worry...i won't let it deteriorate to man bashing. you guys are still welcome! lol xoxo
      • eagles4ever05 replied March 25, 2009

        there is alot of stuff people dont talk about especially this topic and Honestly I never cared about it but it seems like everyone is talking about this stuff now Its not bad its just something they dont teach or talk bout at Catholic schools and alot of parents talk like its a bad thing but hey I am straight so it doesnt bother me
• DaBirds717 said March 25, 2009

  I'm not disagreeing with you that men think a lot of female pro athletes are lesbians but i don't think that is a reason why they won't watch the WNBA. Male fans of basketball grew up playing or watching (NBA) other men play basketball so they appreciate that style of game more. They want to see the high flying dunks and blocked shots. I'm not saying that the WNBA doesn't have tremendous athletes but physically the NBA and WNBA is very different. If I'm watching basketball I would rather see Lebron jumping higher than what i thought was humanly possible than the WNBA hit an open shot. While the seasons might not overlap i just don't have time for the WNBA. I get my basketball fix watching march madness and the NBA at other times of the year I watch the NFL MLB NHL or Champions League.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    i can TOTALLY respect that. if thats your reason then more power to you and this post wasn't directed towards you. i was specifically talking to men that do have other reason for not supporting the WNBA, namely, sexuality.
• hoopla said March 25, 2009

  I know you said earlier that the the title of this post was kinda tongue-in-cheek and that's good cuz I really don't think that the entire problem is with the guys (I don't necessarily agree with the idea that the main reason guys don't watch the W is because of the number of perceived lesbians). I think the WNBA itself (and other women's leagues) is also part of the problem (at the very least, they're definitely not part of the solution). I never really understood why the WNBA doesn't take a more active role in addressing some of the real issues that female athletes have to deal with. I know that the WNBA has its causes that it pines for. Breast cancer and health/fitness in young people is important. But why doesn't the league use its platform as the longest running, most successful women's pro league in this country to also address some of the more sensitive and challenging issues that female athletes face? The league ignores this stuff and hopes that by pretending that the "gay-issue" is a non-issue it will just go away. That's not gonna happen. If the league would just have the guts to confront the issue in a mature and thoughtful way, everyone would benefit. It's awesome that you're trying to open up discussion on this because it seems as if everyone else runs from it (well, except the ignorant ones that like to make the jokes). The only way to make this a non-issue (which it should be) is to talk about it and to reach some kind of understanding. As long as the "gay issue" is cloaked in mystery and treated like something horrible that shall never be discussed, the intrigue and ignorance will remain...

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    i am so feelin your post! you're so right and that's the other reason i wrote about this. i tried to say it in a semi-humorous but provacative way so that people would not be offended but at the same time would want to talk about it. this issue is not going to go away and while discussion won't solve everything, if i can change the way a few people look at and think about us female athletes then i'll be happy. i think the WNBA just doesn't not know how to approach it. how do you, as an organization, address the problems some people have with differences in sexuality without alienating a big portion of your supporters (namely, lesbians)? you have to admit thats a pretty sticky situation...
    • smuddster replied March 26, 2009

      I agree with you about the possibility of alienating your lesbian supporters by not addressing the "pink rhino." That's been a topic of discussion on many of the women's wnba blogs ("women" meaning straight and gay on the same blogs). The WNBA currently runs a very big risk of losing the lesbian fan-base because they don't address this group in any way. Mostly these fans are so happy to have a women's league that they have been cutting them some slack. But, as you mention, its a big portion of the supporters of the league and they are getting tired of being ignored. Look as some industry advertising examples - like Subaru - that have embraced that portion of their audience to their benefit. Embracing one segment of your base should not alienate the rest either - there's room for every one to be acknowledged and treated respectfully.
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        i think the WNBA should embrace their lesbian fan base. but they are also trying to market themselves as a "family friendly" environment. although it's right, many people, for whatever reason, would feel alienated if the WNBA marketed directly to the gay community. but we do do some. the Atlanta Dream marched in the Gay Pride Parade in ATL last summer, and I know the Monarchs have done something like that in the past.
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        i meant "although its NOT right". i mis-typed. i don't believe people should feel threatened by marketing that embraces the gay community. but right or not, its reality.
      • LakotaStorm replied April 04, 2009

        We are not its, and if not for us there the WNBA would have folded by now. I really believe that; while we are not rich we have money to spend and very few business we want to give our support and money too. My partner and I love basketball, women's basketball, and not because we want to ogle the players, but we appreciate the way they play the game. Dunks and show boating isn't something that impresses us. The powers that be want our support, need our support, but they are doing as little as they can get away with so they won't alienate the other fan bases. It also doesn't help that when colleges recruit they look for only for the best players, but look for people who look like Candace Parker, the now poster child for the WNBA, the straight, pregnant, and now married player. After the fight last season they let her get away with a slap on the wrist while Plenette Pierson got the blunt of the punishment, and I don't think I need to spell it out why that happened. No one in the league should have to come out of the closet, or say or hint that they are straight just because they don't want to be thought of as a lesbian, but until the powers that be learn to embrace the rainbow elephants on and off the courts, and those rainbow elephants on the court stop trying to hide the sooner we can all go back to playing and watching the game we all love so much.
        
        About your statement below "i think the WNBA should embrace their lesbian fan base. but they are also trying to market themselves as a "family friendly" environment." Why do you thing the league thinks we are not family friendly? Most of us are there with families, so if they really are that stupid to think that then they obviously they don't go to many games.
• Dawks08 said March 25, 2009

  I love you guys, are you kidding? If a guy doesn't he's straight g@y!

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• Dawks08 said March 25, 2009

  WATCH THE LFL BABY COMING IN FULL SWING!!!

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• mklitt said March 25, 2009

  A lot of sports fans take their cue from TV sports commentators. I have always thought that some of the commentators seemed to need someone in sports to look down on. (Because they are often looked down on by the athletes they cover.)
  Decades ago, soccer was their whipping boy. I believe that league disappeared, in part, because of the relentless mocking it got. They started up again with Major League Soccer, but there are a lot more soccer fans in the US now & it was no longer cool to make jokes about nil-nil games. They looked around for another easy target and saw women playing professional basketball.
  Of course this trickles down, the sneers on TV turn into the jokes around the water cooler. The WNBA players, with a league of their own, don't need men - so I won't deny that some guys could feel threatened because they don't play well enough to be paid, when a woman can.
  But bottom line, it is not cool for guys to be interested. So they say you are all gay or all ugly or the game is boring. I only hope that someday their daughter's will whip them into shape! (Or that BudLIght will do an ad with young male idiots enjoying a WNBA game.) Great column! I love it you introduced this topic. NO FEAR. That is you all over, Chantelle!

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• phutmasterflex said March 25, 2009

  I don't watch women's basketball not because of the "lesbian factor" but simply because of the entertainment factor.
  
  I do watch any kind of basketball whenever I can, but if given a choice, I would prefer men's basketball because of how it's marketed to me and the talent level on display. As a man, I never actually thought of the "lesbian factor" ever. I always just thought of what is actually being displayed right in front of me. Most of the time, men will find more entertainment and skill level in men's versions of basketball versus a women's version.
  
  The "lesbian facto" may be what you think is the reason, but from me, the entertainment factor is my reason.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    i'm ok with the fact that thats your reason, and if it is, this post wasn't talking to you. i do think people should differentiate between skill, talent, and pure athleticism. you will not see a woman as athletically gifted as many in the NBA. those guys are amazing. but is Steve Nash any less skilled because he plays below the rim? no. because he is talented and skilled. if you can try to look at the WNBA that way, then you might feel differently. but hey, if you go to a game and still don't like it then cool.
• mross13 said March 25, 2009

  also skill level

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• Pinkpanthrrr said March 25, 2009

  Some lesbians embrace their femininity and some embrace the more masculine side of themselves. I think that a lot of women in the WNBA are tough, and strong and Men probably feel threatened by that. Men really just want to see two attractive females kissing or whatever. Also if the women is a REAL lesbian then they are taking all the hot females off the market! lol. So that is another reason they might be a little upset about it. Just like how us females hate to see a hot guy be gay! A lot of lesbians HATE men too so it goes both ways...ahem.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    i don't mind if a hot guy is gay bc like i said in my post, if thats what he wants, there is NOTHING i can do for him! LOL
    • Pinkpanthrrr replied March 26, 2009

      ha ha. very true. Still I think a lot of men just lie and say they don't think its exciting or any other excuse because they are threatened by a strong woman. I'd say a lot of those females are taller then the average male! they could kick their patoozi and uh..."manhandle" THEM!
• SmoovArt said March 26, 2009

  I was very fortunate to come up in a family , where basketball was part of the culture. I've been around coaches, players and scouts all my life. When they talk basketball, they don't talk about the highlights you see on sportscenter. They talk about the game, like it's a science. The men in my circle see ballers, not gender or sexuality.
  
  Guys who have a problem with women balling or playing any sport. Probably are not ballers. Just hoopers.
  
  The point made on the media , was a excellent example of how, if you plant a seed of idiocy, idiots will come along with a hoe ,cultivate and continue to perpetuate the idiocy. Because all the media has to do is state it as a fact. Last season, the average attendance per WNBA game was around 8,000. Yet, the media will state as fact,"no one attends the games" and many will swear it's the gospel truth.
  
  On the gay issue. The word GAY only comes up when the subject is about a women athletes. Fact is, there are gays in all professional sports. But, you don't hear women say " who wants to watch a gay man in tight pants, run around on the football field, slapping each other on the butt" When I watch the NBA, I'm not sitting back thinking,"hmmmmm.....I wonder what percentage of those guys are gay" But like Chantelle said, that "Pink Rhino"is always in the room, screaming for attention when the subject is about women and sports.
  
  BTW, it use to be a "PINK ELEPHANT" sitting in a corner, being ignored. But, it's been replaced by a tempermental "PINK RHINO", that won't sit still and is demanding some kind of dialog
  

  

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    lol. your post is right on. and i love the graphics! yay for the pink rhino!!! lol
  • Scarab replied March 26, 2009

    Smoov...I could not have said this better myself! Spot on!
  • Shanelle626 replied March 26, 2009

    Very good points. I think we as a society cling to our long held notions of femininity and masculinity. So that wearing tight clothes and man handling each other (i.e. football, wrestling, mma etc.) doesn't call into question a male's sexuality because it's aggressive behavior and "what men do". But let a female play a contact or traditionally male sport (basketball, softball, soccer) and all of sudden she's gay. It's not even a matter of sport or physicality but whether that sport is deemed masculine or feminine. For example, you don't see the sexuality of female gymnasts, swimmers or beach volleyball players being questioned.
• grmd61 said March 26, 2009

  Watching the NBA seems to get men's testosterone soaring, while watching women play does not. I just think it is going to be a male thing. In MMA there are asome lesbians that fight straight women and men love to watch. When Elite XC was on CBS and featured women fighting everyone was afraid it would tank, but the ratings actually increased for the second women's event and people were making a lot of comments about enjoying it to CBS. Women in MMA may finally make it to the mainstream and that could help all women's sports.

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• DTRIK19 said March 26, 2009

  Men LOVE bisexual girls...best of both worlds. I am not ashamed to admit that in the least...but any man who thinks a 3some is a fantasy needs to have one and that fantasy will quickly end. Its bad enough pleasing one woman...but 2?!?! Personally the only lesbians I "hate" are the feminist men hating ones. You know, the ones who act like they too have male genitalia? But those are feminists too and not just lesbians. I definitely feel where you're coming from, but can you hate men for wanting to see you make out with Candace Parker? haha we're pigs by nature, we just have to hide it as best we can.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    LMAO. appreciate your honesty. =)
  • Shanelle626 replied March 26, 2009

    True feminists do not hate men. And any woman hiding her hostility behind that label doesn't understand feminism. AT ALL.
• BenPhranklin said March 26, 2009

  Chantelle- this is actually a good question and I feel I might be able to shed some light on the situation. Let me start out by saying in my response I also have no intentions of offending anybody. In my opinion many female athletes are extremely beautiful and considering their "star like" status they become even more attractive..... but not every female athlete is attractive..... When a woman is "too muscular" that just is not sexy.... judging from our initial impressions as adolescent youth, a woman is a soft skinned delicate being. So, as we get older and more mature many men seem to hold on to their ageless views of women, often being intimidated by some athletically built women, with their muscular definition, height, or even shoe size.
  Historically speaking, athletic women often break the previous mold set for what a woman traditionally looked like....Playboy shows us voluptuous women, curvaceous, meticulously groomed, often petite to a fault. Simply put, many men are put-off by a woman who is physically dominant, show leadership skills, or are financially dependent. Rather than admit to these insecurities, many pathetic men simply label these women as lesbians and defer any questioning of their manhood. I unfortunately fall into this category, but I think I have a good understanding on why and I hope I helped you out with your question.

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  • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

    On a sidenote, I'm not very interested with the "bi-sexual" fantasy that most men cream over.... i'm a monogamous man and would like only the same in return.
  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    i understand that. if we as a society can broaden the definition of beautiful to include strong, confident, and independent, then i think we would be better off. our you women would not be afraid to act that way and our young men would be less inclined to feel threatened by a woman with those characteristics. i'm an athlete and i don't like overly muscular girls either. in fact, my training program is tailored so i don't get huge. but you have to understand that because of what we do, a certain amount of muscle is required. as a result some of the girls are what you deem as "too big", but also a lot of them have bodies that are amazingly toned and in shape in a good way. i guess what i'm saying is, we may not look like playboy centerfolds, but that doesn't mean we're manly. when was the last time you saw a chick walking down the street that looked like pam anderson? thanks for your honesty.
    • SmoovArt replied March 26, 2009

      Yes, the definition of beauty needs to be broaden for so many reason. It rips my heart out, every time I see some little girl beating herself up. Because of that narrow definition of beauty.
      
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        smoovart - i was gonna send you a private message about this clip but then i was like forget it. i'm asking everyone else to put themselves out there so i might as well too. honestly, this video really touched me. its so funny that these days everyone talks about me being pretty and well put together. but for so long i was so many of these girls in this clip. in the mirror seeing an image i hated, trying to be something else for everyone else, and not confident at all. it has taken a long time and a lot of work to be the person i am today. and thats exactly why societies definition of beauty is dangerously narrow. our little girls shouldn't have to go through that. and thats one reason why the WNBA is so important. we are professional and educated women showing young girls that it's ok to be strong, independent, driven, competitive, and feminine, all at the same time. the beautiful thing about sport are those moments when its about so much more than sport.
      • Shanelle626 replied March 26, 2009

        That's crazy BenP! Because I'm a small, petite woman and am always amazed by the tall, big guys that pursue me. But I think it's essentially the same thing. They want that exaggerated feeling of "protector".
    • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

      Oh i totally agree, too be an athlete you must keep a well toned body especially basketball. I'm not exactly into the playboy- pam anderson look actually..... and it definitely should be a turn on. I am attracted to many of the WNBA players, but there are also a lot that turn me off.... not like they're ugly, but some of their physical features just happen not to be my personal preference. For centuries, Asian women had their feet wrapped as children to ensure having small attractive feet for future husbands.... today that would rightfully be called child abuse, but it was the accepted way of life before..... those same girls would have difficulty running and basketball or sports in general would be impossible. I think most men fancy themselves as "alpha males" who are there to be the protector of their woman, like there's a neanderthal instinct in our DNA and certainly some women also want that from their male companions, But for a man to enjoy a woman who is physically superior to him could be tough on his ego and as we all know a man's ego is a very sensitive territory. I do have some friends who prefer a stronger woman, both physically and mentally..... my guess is that they have just evolved more than many of us others.
      • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

        on a sidenote- I am a tall strong guy and I find more smaller women find me attractive than taller or larger women.... my guess is that they subliminally find security in me.
        A great book to read that touches on some of these subjects is 'The Good Earth' ---by Pearl S. Buck. It has a lot of life lessons in it.
      • Shanelle626 replied March 26, 2009

        Oops, my comment was supposed to go here.
      • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

        don't worry i got it.... then you see things from the other point of view but understand it just the same
    • smuddster replied March 26, 2009

      There is a great book I read several years ago by Pat Griffin - Strong Women Deep Closets. It discusses these kinds of stereotypes, how they were formed and where much of the negativity was rooted. I was facinated by it not only because of the historical view of women in sports but because I grew up through much of the time that the book was discussing. I felt the impacts of the negativity and how it insinuated itself into society but never really knew what was going on to cause such hostility.
      • BenPhranklin replied March 27, 2009

        I think it might be difficult for me to get into, but i'll give it a try
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      "...young men would be less inclined to feel threatened by a woman..." the stereotyping of men just doesn't stop. Why do you feel it's wrong to stereotype women but find it acceptable to stereotype men?
• OldTimeHockey said March 26, 2009

  I don't

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• friendlyface said March 26, 2009

  I personally like athletic women. As somebody that has spent some time with you in the past and considers you a friend not all female athletes are as you are ( looks and personality wise). I have always said that once most women reach a certain height say 6'4, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to find men that are attracted to them. I actually think the reason for that has several layers... First of all a lot of men are scared of a tall, athletic woman and secondly most super tall women aren't as well put together at a Candice Parker or a Chantelle Anderson. With that being said I think that the lack of positive male attention leads a lot of these women to seek the comfort of those around them... often teammate or other women that walk in the same circles. While beauty is only skin deep and is in the eye of the beholder blah blah blah... Most elite female especially basketball players aren't blessed with your stucture. You are definately the best looking 6'6 woman I've ever seen.... could be a little thicker though lol

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    lol. ok first of all, i have no idea who this is. you can hit me up and let me know later, haha. but you're making a great point. i do find that men are intimidated by me, both my height and the overall package. sucks for me sometimes, haha. i do also believe some female athletes, as you said, seek comfort from those around them. because of our lifestyles it can be convenient to date a woman. i know as a female we will always be judged, at least in part, by our looks. i just wish people would pay more attention to the good things we represent and less to what we are, or are not, doing in our bedrooms. and about me being thicker, i'm working on it! i eat all the time but it's hard bc i work out so much. i'll keep that advice in mind though, lol
    • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

      I will definitely say you are very attractive to me.... even more so now, having the chance to converse with you I now know that you are an intelligent woman and that is a major turn on for me. It's true, not as many athletes with your stature are nearly as beautiful..... you were blessed.
      • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

        thanks Ben! and to "friendlyface"...i think i can guess who you are...but honestly men always tell me i would look better thicker. but bc of what you wrote and how it was phrased i'm almost sure who you are...i think, haha.
    • friendlyface replied March 26, 2009

      I'm very disappointed... I figured the thickness comment would be a dead give away....
    • friendlyface replied March 26, 2009

      I'm disappointed... I thought you knew me better than that lol. The thickness thing should have been a dead giveaway!! lol
    • gbadair replied March 30, 2009

      Yo know the street is not one way. How many women got into football because of the teams star players. In high school, college and nfl. One more reason to hate Troy Aikman, as if being a cowpuke wasn't enough. Some girls followed the cowboys just because of him.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      "I just wish people would pay more attention to the good things we represent and less to what we are, or are not, doing in our bedrooms." But why is it okay for you to discuss what NBA players do in their bedrooms?
• eaglsfan28 said March 26, 2009

  I think you may have something with your point. However I think guys go with the lesbian factor as an excuse for a different reason. One of the reasons I love the NBA is because I can identify with the players. Good or bad I can follow the sport and love or hate the players for whatever reason. If I may be totally honest, the WNBA is just not a appealing product to the masses. Part of the reason is far fewer women follow sports per-capita then men. Men cant identify with female players. Unfortunately we(men) arent alway as articulate as we'd like to be. Some are even threated by the WNBA and look at it as women trying to be men, which naturally leads to the whole lesbian factor. I respect the WNBA, I don't watch it because it just doesn't interest me. To be honest if I watch it for more than 5 minutes, I'm watching for hottie's like Chantelle. If she happens to have a nasty 3 ball, then bonus. I don't indentify with the players. I haven't watched them in college, I haven't watched them in the McDonalds all star classic. So its hard for me to invest interest in the league. I think you may be placing blame in the wrong area. Maybe if the NCAA did a better job of marketing its product, then the WNBA would grab a larger audience. Right now, and I mean no disrespect, but its kind of like the DLeague - I can't follow that because I only know like 5 players in the whole league. And I'm not calling them gay.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    ok ok. i'm hearing you. i'm glad we're talking about this. i hear a lot of men on here saying they don't like the WNBA because of the basketball and not the sexuality issue. i can respect that. what i don't understand is, if that's the case, why do i get asked about it ALL THE TIME? like no joke, whenever i meet men and we start talking about the league, as soon as they get comfortable they start talking like, "well who's gay? does so n so date girls? she looks like a man, i don't want to take my kids to see a bunch of lesbians play," etc etc. i hear that so much more often than i hear anything else and so i figured i'd put it out there...i think its a stereotype of female athletes for several different reasons...but that's one thing i love to do is prove them wrong! lol
    • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

      ---wow, those people are just straight up ignorant. I have gay friends, both male and female. I teach my son that we are all different with our choices whether they're about religion or sexual preference but those differences make us unique individuals and overall as human beings we are never really as different as we think. Being gay doesn't make someone a bad athlete or a bad person.... wtf is wrong with people?
    • BenPhranklin replied March 26, 2009

      ---wow, those people are just straight up ignorant. I have gay friends, both male and female. I teach my son that we are all different with our choices whether they're about religion or sexual preference but those differences make us unique individuals and overall as human beings we are never really as different as we think. Being gay doesn't make someone a bad athlete or a bad person.... wtf is wrong with people?
      • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

        Does not liking the WNBA make someone a bad person?
    • smuddster replied March 26, 2009

      re: "i hear a lot of men on here saying they don't like the WNBA because of the basketball and not the sexuality issue."
      
      I read that here and when asked point blank that's what a lot of men I've met and talked to say too. But, as you've experienced, the questions about who's gay are so prevelant that there has to be a underlying issue here. I think that because it isn't politic these days to discriminate many men (not all) don't give the question their honest answer. i.e. they go right for the simple "acceptable" answer that the WNBA isn't good enough skill-wise. I don't believe that is as real as many people would like us to believe. I played sports my whole life and there is always an undercurrent of negativity towards women playing - if the perception is that their lesbian that negativity is much more pronounced.
      • BenPhranklin replied March 27, 2009

        I respect and appreciate women in sports, yet for some reason I do only watch male sports. If it helps any, I do not watch besketball in either league..... I'm a huge fan of women's gymnastics!
    • psheehy replied March 31, 2009

      I'm a dad, and had season tickets to both the NBA (when we had a team) and the WNBA for years. My two sons have been to more WNBA games than NBA teams...and by far more of either than their Mom. My youngest didn't even understand that men/boys played basketball until he was three. To this date, his favorite ballers are women though LeBron is a close third. We won't change the minds of those that narrow in on the 'lesbian' angle, but we can teach the next generations to redefne their world views to be more inclusive. Also, I doubt there are many of those guys who would pass a lie detector saying that was the reason they don't follow the W. There are many reasons to dislike women's basketball or any other sport that have nothing to do with the sexuality of the players. Would those same guys dump the NFL if it came out that a large number of players were gay? Smoovart hit on the key point of society and its image of beauty. There is a portion of society that marginalizes things that don't fit their limited view of the world. I think humans have a tendency to fear differences and degrading those who are different is an easy way to process that fear. Thanks for addressing real issues head on.
      • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

        But degrading all men as narrow minded, bigoted liars is perfectly acceptable, apparently. Maybe you need to practice a little of that "inclusive" attitude that you preach to others.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      If you want to prove that WNBA players love men, I don't think your stereotyping and male bashing is proving that.
• Somemo32 said March 26, 2009

  Well in having talks with my boyfriend when i'm watching women's basketball, he doesn't like it because he says girls are always falling for no reason and they miss too many layups. Go figure. Then we were watching the St. Mary's vs San Diego State game last night and those guys missed more layups in the first half than I've ever seen missed in a women's game. To each their own. I guess the women need to get out and support the women if nothing else.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    great point! i ran into Stephen A. Smith the other day and told him that he needed to give the WNBA more props. he said he loved the WNBA but the only thing he didn't like was that not enough women come out to support it. we need to get women to bring their kids AND their husbands! lol
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      But you didn't write a column bashing women for not going to the games, the way you bash men.
  • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

    "To each their own." To each their own? Are you saying that men have the right to like or dislike the WNBA? I don't think chantelle agrees with you. "I guess the women need to get out and support the women if nothing else." Do you think women don't go to the games because they hate lesbians?
• ameyer84 said March 26, 2009

  I think it is so great that you put up this post. I have a lot of male friends who say that about the WNBA and i tell them that they do not even realize how many athletes that they respect and look up to that are probably gay but you just will never hear about it because it still seems so unacceptable in our society. If a player came out in the NBA that would be all over the sports world news but if a player came out in the WNBA they would probably just be like oh really, nothing surprising there, thats not even newsworthy because arent mostly all of them lesbians anyways??? But I love your post and found it very insightful, keep up the all in good fun posts!!

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    ya, if a big time player came out in the NBA or NFL it would be career suicide.
• gaucho said March 26, 2009

  First off, you have a great blog. Very entertaining and willing to bring up topics others shy away from. I am a women's basketball fan, it's certainly much more fundamental than the NBA game and the athletes are great. You may not have the high flying dunks, but you have as many big game type players who hit big shots in crunch time. I do think the earlier comments about the media are right - they simply don't encourage anyone to watch the games. No hype, no real coverage. Your city is a perfect example. Go to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and you see beat writers for all the teams in the ATL but not for the Dream. Not sure how you change that, maybe get some pick up games going with the media in every market, school them on the court and then charm them with your personalities off of it. Ignorance is definitely out there and there probably are folks turned off by women's sports because of the lesbian perception, but that's not what's truly holding it back from a much broader acceptance.

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• mitressehc said March 26, 2009

  I respect the women's game to no end. I think it is great you get the chance to play just like the men, maybe not the same high flying act yu may see in the NBA, but great team ball and pure fundamentals which the game was based off of. I have a young daughter and even now she will try and ball with Daddy. I can only hope she will one day end up loving the game so much it could take her through college and into the WNBA. And if she was gay or straight doing it, who cares? I do hope I can raise her well enough, basketball or not, to where she will be a good person with a good head on her shoulders, like you Chantelle. Thanks for the post.

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• Shanelle626 said March 26, 2009

  Here's some interesting info. My former grad advisor studies sport participation in girls. Research shows that participation rates are fairly even among grade school girls and boys but there's a huge drop-off once girls reach junior high. It appears that once girls reach adolescence it's not as socially acceptable to be sporty or God forbid, a tomboy. So kids in our society learn that sport is a masculine endeavor fairly early on and they carry that belief into adulthood. I can only hope that the advent of professional womens sports chips away at that misconception.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    they will not learn that its ok to play sports until people stop calling them gay just because they play. its about so much more than basketball.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      They shouldn't be called gay just because they play? Should men be told they hate lesbians just because they don't watch the WNBA?
      • Chantelle7 replied May 11, 2009

        no they shouldn't. and i have said over and over in my comments that if a man doesn't like the wnba for other reasons then that's his own personal choice and i respect that. i just don't like when people make the choice to hate on the wnba by saying all the players are gay, because that's not true. and i'm not here trying to convince anyone that all bball players are straight and love men. that would be a lie too. but if all of us were straight, it would not be used against us the way having lesbian players is used against the whole league by men and women (not ALL men or ALL women, but men and women just the same). this is not about male bashing or the fact that i don't appreciate men. i have been more than respectful to everyone that has commented on all of my posts, men and women alike. this post is simply the angle i chose to approach this multi-faceted topic of sexuality and female athletics.
  • smuddster replied March 27, 2009

    That has been changing over the last 20-30 years. When I was in elementary school girls were still being told that they shouldn't do push ups because it would adversely affect their "womanly parts." The same thing goes with running full court - it was "too hard for girls" to do that because being too active supposedly affect their abilities to have babies later. What a load of rubbish! That has at least changed now so that it isn't unusual to have highschool, college, and professional women's sports - where they run the court just fine and can still have babies if they choose to.
• InGameNow said March 26, 2009

  I have a ton of respect for hot lesbians. Just can't respect the "non attractive" ones.....same goes for bi chicks or straight girls

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    wether or not you are attracted to them is on you, but you should respect them all.
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      Yeah, like you respect all men.
      • Chantelle7 replied May 10, 2009

        i do respect men. nothing i have said on here had been disrespectful in any way. you may not agree with my opinions but i have not stated them disrespectfully at all.
• UNC23Tarheels said March 26, 2009

  Chantelle7,I don't think all Men don't Hate Lesbians,personally I think that's a Myth or a stereotype and I'm speaking on my behalf,I have No Problem with any Lesbian nor do I have the fantasy having any kinda sexual relations with a Lesbian,And as for the WNBA,I enjoy watching some games every now and then and that Charmique and Nikki along with you are playing for Atlanta I'll definitely be watching..Good Article Got People Thinking..Props to You Ma.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    I'm glad you feel how you do. there are a lot of men that feel otherwise and this post was directed towards them. and ya, our team is gonna be SICK this year so support for sure! thanks for your post =)
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      "there are a lot men who feel otherwise and this post was directed towards them." Are you also going to direct a post at all the women who hate men?
• webkid30 said March 26, 2009

  Chantelle, do you think that the lesbian issue might get brought up so often just because its sexual? If someone was attracted to you and having a conversation and didnt know how to be mature about it they might throw out the "oh, so you are gay then?" joke to try to get you talking about sex and see if theres anything there. Think about it. Have you ever been talking to a guy, told him you were in the league, and then joked that "but Im not gay! ... hehe"

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  • webkid30 replied March 26, 2009

    I thought about that because I havent heard anyone say they don't like the product because the girls are gay. I don't think the driving factor that makes male attendance go down is because guys dont think theyll be able to have sex with the women who are playing...it's just that they like a faster, high flying type of game.
  • HarryPotter replied March 26, 2009

    good luck getting into her pants with that line
  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    haha. guess i didn't think about it that way. but i don't come out and say i'm not gay because i don't think that should be an automatic question bc i play ball. and plus, i rarely have time because within that very convo he's already asking me! haha. but hey, it's whatever. i answer them, and then ask them if they are gay and laugh when they get offended at the question. lol.
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      A man will be offended if he's asked if he's gay because he doesn't see any basis for asking him that question. In contrast there is a basis for asking a WNBA player if she is gay, because at least 50% of the league is gay. If a man is a hairdresser, or a dress designer, he will similarly be assumed to be gay because of the high % of gay men in those professions.
• 1way2play said March 26, 2009

  Yo C I signed up just for ur blog. I have to say that I am a straight man and I love the WNBA because it is a high level of basketball. One of my friends does tease me saying I like it because im being a pervert and I just watch to see girls play...thats not true even so there are some cute ones. As far as the lesbian thing goes it just is like a punch in the stomach when you see a pretty girl who chose that route. I feel like damn what are we doing wrong. looking from the outside I think about 35% of the W is gay...Don't feel bad if a dude asks that once you are getting to know each other it is just a question that he has to know for sure. Before you get into a relationship everything should be on the table.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    awww, thanks! and thanks for supporting the W. ya, i understand how a guy could feel like that. but like i said in my post, its not about yall. if thats what a certain person wants then that's what she wants. and i don't mind putting everything on the table in a relationship. it just bothers me sometimes that it's not even really a question but an assumption just bc i play ball.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Sort of like the "assumption" that just bc you don't watch the WNBA you must hate lesbians?
• bdnookie said March 26, 2009

  Men dislike the WNBA because it is an inferior product to the NBA, as many people dislike college basketball in comparison to the NBA because, again, it's an inferior product. It's called a free market. The WNBA exists due to subsidization from the NBA, which actually generates revenue. I am never offended by these types of posts but I do find it intellectually boring because the sexuality of the players is irrelevant. It's the crummy product.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 26, 2009

    if the sexuality was irrelevant then i wouldn't get asked about it ALL THE TIME and it wouldn't be such a powerful stereotype. but hey, if you don't like the product then i'm fine with that! we're not gonna please everyone. but if people aren't gonna support us, i want it to be for the right reasons, and not ones rooted in prejudice and lies. thanks for your honesty.
    • juanyorba replied March 27, 2009

      While I could care less about a player's sexuality as far as supporting the WNBA (I like others here simply don't watch WNBA because it is sloppy, slow basketball that is played almost exclusively below the rim and is not exciting), it would be interesting to find out what the percentage of homosexual athletes are in the WNBA as opposed to the general population. I realize that it has to be a minority but when arguably the greatest women's basketball player ever and the face of the league at its inception is gay, you are going to get questions about it, just as if Michael Jordan were gay, I would expect questions of male basketball players sexuality.
      
      Yes it would be harder for a major male athlete to come out, but you cannot tell me that there is not a higher percentage of gay women athletes than their male counterparts. And that is fine, it is their own business what they do in the bedroom but you didn't even contradict a guy (1way2play) when he said 35% of the WNBA is gay which is a huge percentage if it is true. While articles outing individuals, starting rumors, putting negative spin on someone just of their sexual preference, or running stories without consent are terrible, it would be irrational to think that people shouldn't inquire and talk about how a certain demographic is, what? 3 to 4 times more likely to be gay than the general public. I certainly would expect a lot of questioning of MLB if 35% of all baseball players were gay and with good reason.
      
      This is the society we live in and you have to deal with it. The majority of supermarket tabloid magazines that openly claim this star is gay or this one is having an affair are not bought by my demographic AKA the male "lesbian hating" group, but rather females that claim to not be homophobic but by buying such trash are inadvertently supporting homophopia. Would US Weekly stay in business if every woman in America that claimed to have no problems with homosexuality boycotted their magazine due to their outrage of running "gay scandal" headlines on the covers? I have been rambling for far too long now but my point is, it is dangerous to attack an entire gender on charges of homophobia when your own can be just as close-minded on the same issue. Especially when that opposite gender makes it possible for you to play in your home country rather than have to trek off to Europe like women a couple decades ago had to.
      
      Also, when the media puts out stories like this, even though it is a positive article, http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060811&slug=storm11 are you really suprised that people view it as a lesbian league?
      
      
      • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

        it would be nice if people paid attention to the game and not what we do or do not do in our bedrooms. when was the last time you were watching a Lakers game and thought, hmmm, i wonder who Kobe cheated on Vanessa with last night. or thought, i wonder how many girls Lebron had in his bed last night, while watching the Cavs play. would be nice if we could get that same respect. but i mean, i guess asking for respect is too much and i should just worship every man for allowing me to play in my own country. are you freaking joking? please.
      • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

        "It would be nice if people paid attention to the game and not what we do or do not do in our bedrooms." But you wrote two blogs about what NBA players do in their bedrooms. HYPOCRISY.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Let's see. If I don't like the WNBA that means I hate lesbians. So what does it mean that I don't like Hockey, Soccer, Lacrosse, Bowling, or Badminton?
• pilight said March 26, 2009

  The guys talking about the W being an inferior product are carrying too many preconceptions into the arena. The women's game is very different from the men's. That's not to say that it's necessarily better or worse, it's just a style of game that NBA and MCBB fans aren't used to.
  I don't think about the sex lives of the players while I'm watching a game, any more than I do when I'm watching an NBA game. That's just silly.
  OTOH, when I read your blog with the pictures of you and Cheryl Ford at the NBA ASG, my imagination did briefly go somewhere inappropriate.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    i agree about the preconceptions being brought to the table when it comes to the WNBA. i just wish i knew how to make people look past those and give it a chance by coming to a game. and LOL about the ASG pics. ya, it was fun walking around with Cheryl bc you know 2 pretty girls over 6'4" got a lot of attention, lol ;)
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Bashing men doesn't help people look past the the preconceptions. It only reinforces the perception that WNBA players are not male friendly.
• NYCScribbler said March 26, 2009

  Well-written post- but I would have expected no less from a Vandy alumna. ;) I find that it's the lazy way out. People who don't want to give the league a try toss that out as an excuse because, unfortunately, it's still acceptable, and it's more acceptable than saying they're not interested because it's a women's league and they feel threatened by women in their arena. The ones who give it a try and turn away because they don't like the style- fine, I can deal with that, it's an honest sports reason, it's the reason why I don't sit down and watch Serie A games with my dad or go to Met games with my honey. But the guys who are throwing up the "O NOES D*KES!" defense are the ones who won't even bother watching a single game. It's a smokescreen.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    thank you! and ya, i think you are right; a lot of times its the easiest and most widely acceptable answer. if he says he doesn't like it bc its a women's league then he could come off as a chauvinist. but if he says its bc we're all gay then he comes off as a macho guy that loves "real women". sucks but it's true.
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      I love the way someone who objects vociferously to women being stereotyped, feels perfectly free to stereotype all men.
• gbadair said March 26, 2009

  I have a thought. We are all about competition. And to be frank, I think we dislike lesbians subconciously. Cause they are real competetion in love. Gay guys actually help us out in the numbers game. A gay couple, two potential rivals out the equation. A lesbian couple, two potential mates out of the equation.

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  • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

    By that reasoning, women must dislike gay men.
• bdnookie said March 27, 2009

  If I understand you correctly, you are saying that men do not enjoy the WNBA because of the supposed large proportion of gay women who populate the sport. Ergo, if straight, hot women played basketball, men would watch women play basketball, Soccer, swimming, softball, volleyball, field hockey, tennis, they all have the prerequisites for this to occur, yet all struggle to gain a viewership. I think it's counterproductive to point the finger at people for not watching you play a sport that is simply not popular, due to the PRODUCT that is on the court. This is like a feminist group arguing that people don't want to listen to their dissertations on Susan B. Anthony or Jane Addams because they are sexist and insensitive, not because the subject matter is relentlessly boring. Why is it not enough for you to simply appreciate the fact that a male-centered league, the NBA, pays for you to play a sport that has very little economic-based revenue, but is in fact a beneficial social enhancer/outlet for females? Don't bite the hand that feeds. If us lesbian-hating, closed-minded, backwards males stopped going to watch men play a sport we care about and a league that offers a superior product, you wouldn't have a website to post complaints and tongue-in-cheek arguments bashing us pigs.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    i know you didn't read any of my comments so i will repeat myself just for you. i don't care if men don't watch the WNBA because they don't like the game being played, i.e. "the product". that's an individual choice. just like the fact that i don't like baseball, and MMA is too brutal for me to enjoy. and i respect people's right to make that choice. this post was based on the NUMEROUS conversations i, and people i know, have had with men where the sexuality of the players IS an issue. if you don't belong to that group then I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU. but no, i am not going to simply appreciate the fact that we have a league without trying to grow it or make it better. thats like being hired for a job you applied for, and then being satisfied and not working for that next promotion. maybe that works for you, but thats not in my nature. i'm not telling anyone to stop watching the NBA so they can watch the WNBA (i LOVE the NBA and watch it all the time). i simply don't appreciate the stereotypes that female athletes, myself included, are forced to deal with on a daily basis. so i chose to address them in a humorous but provocative way in order to get people, MEN INCLUDED, talking about them. AND, there has been no male bashing by me AT ALL in all the comments on this post, nor have i encouraged any such comments. so you can write sarcastic, smart allec replies if you like, but it's you that are out of line, not me.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      But every time a man says that lesbians have nothing to do with his disinterest in the WNBA, you insist that can't be true because every man you talk to always says that he doesn't like the W because of all the lesbians. If you don't "appreciate the stereotypes that female athletes are forced to deal with" then maybe you should stop stereotyping all men. As far as growing the league, I'm not sure that attacking men is the way to do it.
      • Chantelle7 replied May 11, 2009

        no, i haven't insisted that it can't be true for him. i have simply said that if it isn't true for that particular guy then he's not one of the ones i am talking to. i have said he can't insist that it's not an issue because i have had so many people bring it up to me as an issue.
• six8pwrhouse said March 27, 2009

  hmmm...is this an article to say that men do not like lesbians so therefore they do not want to watch WNBA games? Or is this an article simply on why men do not like lesbians in general? If it is the first part I do not think that is the case because I believe men do not like the WNBA because they may believe it is less competitive (not saying that is the case) and the players are not as athletic as what they are accustomed to seeing with an NBA player. When one watches sporting events one tends to want to see how fast one can run, how high or far one can jump, and if one can jump over or through a person. That's as some execs would say is what keeps people in the seats. Is this wrong to think not necessarily, but it is also what society has been watching since the first tickets were sold or the first event was televised. Society sometime in generals just believe that men are physically stronger than women. When one thinks of a woman, the thought of strength is not the first thought, one may think beauty before brawn. Is it that wrong again depends on what side you're on. I just don't think that one can compare males and females in sports because its not the same thing genetically. Don't get me wrong WNBA games are competitive but its not the NBA simply because ya not going to crazy athletes exploding to the rim and taking out any for of aggression on the rim.
  
  Now, if we are talking about men not liking lesbians by itself. Its simply because men do not believe women treat other women like man and therefore feel that women are inferior. Again, this would be based on what and how we are raised throughout history, women just were not allowed to many activities such as athletics, though back during the hunter gatherer ages some tribes had women who were actually the hunters(which would not be a bad idea cause women are very conniving and would do a great job in getting their piece of meat...LOL).
  
  but as far as the lesbians at basketball games one has to take into consideration that the WNBA is relatively young league in comparison to the other major sports, there are strides being made everyday. What the nba has that the wnba does not have at this moment is that men have been on the playgrounds for over 50 or so years trying to get better to make it to the NBA where as the WNBA. This situation has allowed players to consistently work on their craft as getting athletic and working on different skills(again women are skilled) and also this produces a large fan base. Before the WNBA not a lot of girls wanted to try and play basketball professionally because there wasn't a league. And think about this one how many women did you know could dunk before the WNBA........exactly because of the WNBA you have girls that are simply doing some of the things dudes do to be able to jump high enough to punch...so i say give it some time and this athletic thing will be a non issue in some years..after all the one girl that is going to be at Baylor will be changing the game for woman...sorta like what George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain have done...u need time to see things change...
  
  Hope this has done something...

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    my post was kind of making fun of both of those opinions. you made a lot of EXCELLENT points. don't worry, i won't lose hope! haha. thanks for such a thoughtful comment.
• bdnookie said March 27, 2009

  In other words, your entire career as an athlete depends on men spending their money to support your league.

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  • pilight replied March 27, 2009

    That's true of ALL athletes.
    • nidelup replied May 09, 2009

      All athletes are dependent on MEN spending their money? That's funny I thought women were more than half the population? Why aren't they spending their money to support women athletes? But as long as you acknowledge that women athletes like Chantelle are dependent on men, perhaps she should show us a little respect to men for enabling her to have a career in the sport she loves, instead of her non stop male bashing and man hating. Perhaps the entire WNBA should show their gratitude to the MEN who make the league possible, by for example, promoting the cause of prostate cancer cure.
      • Chantelle7 replied May 10, 2009

        there has been no male bashing or male hating by me at any time. i love men! lol. but i also like to talk about issues that affect me as a woman or the dynamics between men, women and society. and the wnba supports several causes, like breast cancer, for that reason: because it affects us as women!
  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    exactly Pilight. the career of ALL athletes depend on fans, mostly men, supporting their league. as talented as Lebron is, he wouldn't have a job if no one went to see him play.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      "mostly MEN." That's right, MEN. So by your reasoning, since few women support men's sports (or womens' sports) it must mean that they hate straight men?
• mross13 said March 27, 2009

  That Steve Nash point is a horrible arguing point. First, he plays with exciting players with enough athletisicm to dunk. And second if I had a choice between Steve Nash, a player who plays under the rim, or Lebron James, a high flying dunk machine, guess who I would choose.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 27, 2009

    i was not comparing steve nash to other players that play above the rim. i was making the point that just because he doesn't dunk and plays below the rim, doesn't mean he is not skilled. it was in response to someone saying women in the WNBA are not skilled because we play below the rim. please get the point right before calling it horrible.
  • BenPhranklin replied March 27, 2009

    guess which one has also been voted as league MVP? twice!
    So I guess all that above the rim nonsense is OVER RATED!
    My coach used to say.... "show me a dunk that is worth 3 points and I'll tell you it was a great dunk, otherwise a layup is just as well"
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Above the rim is over rated? So then why does the league make such a big deal about Candace Parker's dunks?
• 1way2play said March 28, 2009

  Comparing Nash to LeBron is extreme because LBJ is more than a dunker he is also very skilled. Just say I would rather watch Diana Taurasi play than Chris (Birdman) Anderson just because he is a high flyer. Give me the inspiration of Lisa Leslie and Ivory Latta's passion for the game, rather than the Wizards walking up the court vs. the Kings day dreaming about how popping the club will be later on.It is two different leagues accept them both for what they are. Basketball fans love the game rather it's rec, school, aau, college, or pro...Not only will I be there on June 6th I will be there May 27th and all of the home games to follow, Gotta come support u and the rest of my boo's. lol

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

    haha thanks! i just read your comment after commenting on some rather disheartening ones. thank you very much for your support =) looking forward to seeing you this summer!
• SMH12289 said March 28, 2009

  Im sorry but, most guys are not gonna turn down the opportunity to watch LeBron, Shaq, KG, Kobe,D-Wade,Dwight Howard and countless other NBA players play to watch womans basketball....
  
  The skill thing is not the issue, the main issue is athleticism...NBA players athleticism is on a whole nother level
  
  Back to the main topic, I've never heard guys mention that they don't watch WNBA because they are lesbians..but because it has no resemblance to the NBA in terms of star power, athleticism and overall attraction...I've seen many WNBA games and sometimes I can get more excitement out of a Cavs/Timberwolves game than I can a Sparks/Liberty one

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 28, 2009

    i would never ask anyone to stop watching the NBA to watch the WNBA. i LOVE the NBA and to me there's nothing more exciting in sports than the NBA playoffs. but why does it have to be one or the other? why can't people appreciate two different brands of basketball, played at the highest level of their respective games, during different times of the year?
    • SMH12289 replied March 28, 2009

      I'm not talking about appreciating it, im talking about watching it. Even in the summer, WNBA is not going to be there as a fix for NBA fans until October..Candace Parker is probably the WNBA's biggest star, but she can not draw in the same amount of viewers or the same kind of viewers that LeBron does...
      • Chantelle7 replied March 28, 2009

        thats fine. don't watch it then. thankfully, there are a lot of people that feel otherwise and appreciate it enough to watch it and don't see it as just a "fix" until the NBA starts again.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      That's kind of like asking why more people go to NBA games than go to the "D" league games or why more people go to major league baseball games than to minor league games.
• CapAnson said March 28, 2009

  Ehh.. so what's your point? Yes us straight he-men enjoy few things more than two beautiful fems doing what
  God didn't intend them to.. Yes we all think about spicing up the bedroom with an extra partner.. I think we can be forgiven if we'd rather that partner be Halle Berry than Rosie O'Donnell. It's just the way we're made. As to your other points I for one think I could take you one on one.. of course I happen to be 6'8", very strong and played organized ball for around 20 years. But I could be wrong.. I'll grant you your general point, but that being said I'd be absolutely stunned if any WNBA team.. heck a WNBA all star team for that matter could stay in the gym with a state championship caliber high school boys team. Even accepting said WNBA team could squeek out a victory in said hypothetical matchup, who wants to pay to see high school level basketball? Well maybe people in Indiana..

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 28, 2009

    i'm not even going to argue with you. what i will say is that your post is insulting. the fact that you truly believe that the best women's players in the world, some who have been playing at the highest level for over 15 years, could not "stay in the gym" with a good h.s. boys team, well thats just ridiculous. i hate the fact that just bc we're women, and just bc our game is different than the men's, people dismiss all the elements it takes to be the best in your profession. imagine that, THE BEST IN YOUR PROFESSION. Cynthia cooper was the Michael Jordan of women's basketball. her work ethic, sacrifice, talent, ability to come through in the clutch, and competitive spirit was no less than his. AND she won championships. but people automatically dismiss everything it means to do what she did just bc she's a woman and not as athletic or as explosive as he was. what makes it even more insulting is that you are an athlete and know everything that it takes to be good, maybe even great (i don't know bc i don't know how good you were), and you are so quick to dismiss what we do. ya, you might be able to beat me one on one because of the physically unequal match up. but that doesn't mean you are more talented, skilled, work harder, or anything else that makes an athlete great. it just means you were born a man. P.S. i have never lived in Indy, but i do know that last summer there were over 8,000 ppl that came to EVERY Atlanta Dream game to watch "high school level basketball".
    • six8pwrhouse replied March 29, 2009

      hmmmmm.....
    • CapAnson replied March 30, 2009

      Ahh I think you misunderstood my post. I'm not arguing about the level of talent, dedication, hard work, etc. etc. but rather what is marketable.. people no longer follow basketball because of great team defense, good passing, setting screens, cutting off passing angles, great shooting form, and so forth.. they want to see speed, dunking, long range shooting, alley oops, blocked shots that send the ball 20 rows up and so forth.. that's what people pay to see.. .so sure personally I actually do find WNBA games as/more entertaining as the NBA.. but I also like watching clips on ESPN classic of the 1974 Celtics or the 1979 NCAA title game. I don't however for one second think those guys could hang with any NBA team of today.. that's the marketing problem the WNBA has, in that they're selling a product (well-played, coached, and fundamental basketball) that people aren't as willing to buy. BELIEVE me.. I've known a number of pro men's players and I know that their play is severely lacking in fundamentals.. I can't count the number of times I guarded some guy who could jump out of the gym, and was recruited by everyone and their brother, yet I notice he can't dribble with his left hand, I cheat over to his right.. and poof he's helpless the entire game..
      Anyway... didn't mean to insult.. sorry for that.. my comments were only based on pure physical ability, nothing else, and true enough I haven't played in ten years, so you probably would win one-on-one against me.
      • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

        what i took offense to was you saying the best players in our game were playing "high school level basketball". but whatever. i'm over this post because it was supposed to get conversation started on stereotypes we women face, and instead people are being completely disrespectful to everything we do and stand for. but cool, thanks for clearing that up and explaining what you really meant....
• HarryPotter said March 28, 2009

  people need to stop, nobody cares if you care about the wnba or not, if you dont like it, stop coming on here and leaving comments that you dont like it, you obviously feel that your opinion is alot more important than it actually is

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  • avegang replied May 07, 2009

    GET DEEEEZ U KNOW!!!!
• crazyphillyfan said March 29, 2009

  The reason more people dont watch the WNBA is because it isnt as marketable. The only house hold names in the WNBA are Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie, who i believe is retired. In the NBA you have Kobe, Shaq, Lebron, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce... the list goes on and on. People will spend their time to watch those players not players they have never heard of before,

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 29, 2009

    Lisa Leslie is not retired. She will retire at the end of her seasons after playing in the WNBA for 13 seasons. 1way2play said everything else that needed to be said below.
    • CapAnson replied March 30, 2009

      Which is too bad since I was hoping her scoring and rebounding records would stand for a good long while, but starting late, missing a season for pregnancy, and retiring means Lauren Jackson, who I'm not such a big fan of will top her in scoring fairly soon..
• 1way2play said March 29, 2009

  crazyphillyfan are you telling me you never heard of Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson or Sheryl swoopes. Since you're a philly fan how about the legendary Dawn Staley who is from there or Candace dupree who came from Temple University. Everybody is making excuses. How about engaging for one full season to actually try it rather than 2 minutes of a televised game? How can you hear of somebody if you don't watch the league? Sydney Crosby is the only hockey player I know but I don't blame it on marketability, I never gave it a chance and I admit that...same goes for soccer all I know is Adu and Beckham because i'm not interested in futbol. I love the game of basketball so I watch just about all of it. People should just man up and say they never gave it a chance or they are only casual fans of basketball. Sports is entertainment and the factor it has, is people doing things athletically what most can't. I don't know about you but most women can't beat me in b-ball so when I watch a game full of women who possibly can it is amazing to me and it keeps me interested. I been hoopin since I was about 4 and if a female is skilled enough to even make me wonder if she can beat me...then that lady deserves all the props in the world and ima give it to them and cheer like I would when I watch LBJ or AI. If I have a daughter im going to teach her to go hard at any man whether it be sports, the workplace, or anything she has to compete in. Dont you think thats only right?

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 29, 2009

    couldn't have said it better myself. =)
    • avegang replied May 07, 2009

      I dont know for me it puts me to sleep (no disrespect) just not enough action! But I will & do support the sport of womens basketball!
  • nidelup replied May 20, 2009

    Actually you're completely contradicting and destroying Chantelle's argument. She insists that the reason men don't watch the W is that they think all the players are lesbians. But since you admit you have no interest in futbol or hockey, despite the high level of skill of the players, it can't be the sexual orientation of the players that accounts for a sports lack of interest. So why do you think few men have any interest in hockey or soccer? Kind of destroys the argument that lesbians keep men away from the W if those same men have the same disinterest in futbol or hockey doesn't it. "I'm not interested in futbol" Fine, but don't deny men the same right to choose which sports they are or are not interested in. "...people doing things athletically that most can't" If that's what gets people to watch, then the hockey games would all sell out and get the highest ratings because they certainly do things that most can't, especially since most people cannot ice skate. By that reasoning you should be a huge ice hockey fan. Lacrosse players, rowers, skaters, gymnasts, high jumpers, discuss throwers, race walkers, etc, can all do things you can't so I guess you are avid fans of all those sports aren't you? Yeah right. "People should just man up and say they never gave it a chance..." Well first of all I'm sure most sports fans have seen a WNBA or women's college game, so they "gave it a chance" and didn't come back. As far as "man up", that would difficult for the 99% of the female population who have no interest in women's basketball.
• crazyphillyfan said March 29, 2009

  All im saying is that if someone sees a commercial on ESPN that says watch this person battle this person in a clash of division leaders they would be more compelled to watch it. But you never see those for the WNBA just the NBA. Also on stations like ESPN you never hear them debate over which team or player is better in the WNBA just the NBA. So there are alot of ways you can hear of someone without watching the league. I dont watch hockey either but I know of plenty of hockey players. (i cant saythe same for soccer but that isnt adverstised as much either) I wasnt trying to say that its because its an all women league or about the lesbian thing, i dont think it has anything to do with sex. Its all about getting the product out there and right now theWNBA isnt doing that.

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• bdnookie said March 30, 2009

  If I decide to become an airline steward, hair stylist, florist, or interior designer, as a man, I understand that the perception and common reality is that gay men are drawn to these occupations and thus people will either intuit or question if I am in fact a gay man as well. If I know who I am and that I am straight then I know who I am. You are suggesting that the men you have met have told you they don't like the WNBA because of the large percentage of gay women that supposedly comprise the league, when in fact the free market has said over and over and over again that people don't like your sport because it is an inferior product in comparison to other alternatives. I am not being smarmy, snarky, or condescending or at least I am not trying to be so - It's just the simple truth.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

    did you read my responses to your posts above? comments 52.1 and 59.1. i don't know why you keep saying the same thing. my answer is not gonna change. if sexuality is not your reason then this blog wasn't directed towards you, and if you just don't like the WNBA, then don't watch it!
• bdnookie said March 30, 2009

  my POINT Chantelle, since I have to spell it out to you, is that MOST people don't care about your sexuality in the bedroom, and for those who do, screw them. It doesn't matter to them when it comes to consuming sports. Calling someone out for not liking a sport due to homophobia or whatever the reason is counterproductive. Jackie Robinson didn't say, "You guys don't appreciate me because I am black, If I were white you would love my style of play". He proved it on the diamond and people love(d) him for it. Bringing sexuality into the equation is counterproductive, cheap, and ultimately self-defeating. And yes, I do read your posts. If your answer won't change then keep singing the same old town crier song.

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  • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

    its only counter productive if no one feels that way. maybe you don't feel that way, but other people do. not many people are going to admit outright that they have certain prejudices but at least they might think about it. ya, jackie robinson didn't come out and say it, but newsflash! there WERE some people that didn't like him bc he was black, no matter how good he was. you change things by talking about them. and thats all i'm doing. talking about something that exists is never counterproductive. you can say homophobia doesn't exist but the truth is it does.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Does man-hating exist?
  • Chantelle7 replied March 30, 2009

    and since you brought up Jackie Robinson, do you think people would have ever gotten over their prejudices if they were never addressed? of course not. but i'm done on this topic. if you never think about the WNBA again it will not alter my life one bit.
    • nidelup replied May 11, 2009

      Then you should address your anti-male prejudices instead of denying they exist.
• SMH12289 said March 31, 2009

  You can't expect the average male to check out a female sport that the average female doesn't check out...My 19 yr old cousin could tell you more about Kobe or LeBron than she can anyone in the WNBA. Before questioning males, question females as why they don't check out female sports..

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• Wheelman said April 01, 2009

  Great post, great responses.

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• WackInquisitor said April 01, 2009

  I gotta say, as a man, I have to admit. Yeah, the lesbian thing does affect how normal guys approach the WNBA. But hear me out. It doesn't have much of anything to do with the players. No, but with the fans. I have gone to a couple WNBA games. And I gotta say, I felt uncomfortable. I'd guestimate that half the crowd was lesbian, and proud to let you know it. The other half was families and young girls. First of all, this is a very strange dynamic. I get that lesbian women enjoy the WNBA. That's cool. They got a place where they can congregate and be themselves and proud of it. But you know your somewhat tongue in cheek title? Well, I think a more accurate one is "Why Lesbians HATE Men". Because most do. Don't ask me why. But most Lesbians (real ones, that is), not only do they not want to have anything to do with a man in the bed. They don't want anything to do with him, period. Think about it. Compare gay men, who have nothing but female friends, and gay women, who have nothing but female friends. Just saying. Be a straight male at a WNBA game. If you aren't expecting a few dirty looks while walking around the concourses, you're gonna be unpleasantly surprised. Sure not all. But many of the lesbian fans view the WNBA games as "ours, back off men!" And for that, I gotta say. It makes it strange to be a straight dude at a WNBA game. Especially when you look around the stands and all you see men-wise your age is fathers and gay men. It's not nice to admit or say. But I almost feel that the only way to get men to embrace your sport is to de-emphasize the overtly lesbian fan bases. Not to the point of turning them away. But just level the playing field in the stands and make it an inviting environment to all. That, and wear uniforms like team Australia. (the women like Chantelle with a shapely figure, that is. Not some of the bigger gals. ;) That was a bit of a joke. But you gotta admit that more dudes would be interested if Candace Parker and Chantelle and Sue Bird were running around in those things. lol.

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  • hoopla replied April 03, 2009

    I don't necessarily know if I agree with everything you're saying here, but I understand where you're coming from and I definitely think you bring up an interesting issue. Perhaps the crowd dynamics (or perceived crowd dynamics) do have an effect on why more men don't attend WNBA games and, as most WNBA fans know, the WNBA game is much better seen live than on TV...so...yeah, you have a valid point. But I think it also goes both ways. One of the things that frustrates me most about being a female WNBA fan is that most people think that I have some kind of ulterior motive for being liking women's bball. Like, I gotta be a feminist or gay or something to appreciate women's basketball. Because if I wasn't, why would I bother watching 'inferior' bball, right? Fact is, I just like watching the game, no matter who's playing it. I'm as much of an NBA fanatic as I am a WNBA fanatic. But, as a 27 y/o female WNBA fan, I HATE having to explain to people why I like the league so much and I know that a lot of females don't wanna watch, follow or talk about the WNBA just because they might be perceived as gay if they do. I mean, if you're a female and you're an NFL or NBA fan, the guys love you...so you might as well stick to that. So yeah, this is an issue for both genders and I definitely think its one of the big (biggest?) reasons why more females don't support the league. But I gotta say this, I definitely wish there were more straight men at WNBA games because one of the most important characteristics of my dream man is that he is a WNBA fan! ...drop some knowledge about the league in a convo, and I am instantly hooked!...LoL :-) ...great post, btw.
• samin21 said April 02, 2009

  This is the most idiotic article about women's basketball I've read in a long, long time.

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• scottkitchens said April 04, 2009

  Interesting thoughts. I really don't care if a women is a lesbian or not. I think there are some men who enjoy the game for what it is. Just for the record, I would definitely bring my hot wife to the games and sure we would joke a little about how hot someone was but I preface that by saying "but they aren't my baby". Good luck and keep up the blogs!

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• trublu1110 said April 11, 2009

  true, but intersting post, ii know plenty of guys who think the wnba is a waste of their time, then think im dumb when i refuse to watch the nba

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  • nidelup replied May 20, 2009

    If you refuse to watch the NBA that must mean you hate straight men. At least by Chantelle's reasoning.
• Yuri28 said April 16, 2009

  we don't HATE lesbians, we just hate butchy chicks who hate on us first. Be honest, you've seen em before: Becky who now goes by Bob, so now all of a sudden she's a tough guy/girl, going out picking fights with dudes...being rude. You should probably do a blog on that; find out why they hate us.

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  • Chantelle7 replied April 17, 2009

    LOL. i know what you're talking about. and all lesbians don't hate men just like all men don't hate lesbians. i have theories on why some of them do but i'm not getting into that on here. i have actually stopped commenting on this blog bc people (not you) started being rude and insensitive. but thanks for your comment!
• symetta said April 22, 2009

  I love you Chantelle, and I also love the WNBA, I thought I was one of the biggest fans until I found out that the WNBA in it self would rather not have us (gays) in the stands. My other half and I have not been to a game in the Garden in a couple of years, because we feel really badly about spending our money with an organization who really does not want us present. Keep up the good work, there is lots of love out here, ignore the negative peps.
  shirl's

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  • Chantelle7 replied April 23, 2009

    symetta - first of all, thanks for the love. next, it's not that the wnba doesn't like or want the GLBT community in the stands and as our supporters. it's just hard to market to that community and also to the population looking for "family friendly" entertainment. this is strictly because of peoples prejudices and it's not right, but it is reality. the WNBA is caught in kind of a "catch 22" that i'm sure you can understand. we need fans to survive and for that we need to be marketed to the largest population possible. unfortunately that causes some people to be alienated. the only way to get past this problem is for the masses of society to change their prejudices, which is a long process but is coming along. that is one reason i posted this article, just to get people talking about it. i'm sorry you and your partner felt unappreciated and i hope you will decide to support us at some point in the future.
    • Yuri28 replied April 23, 2009

      I think maybe the wnba's marketing issue is polarized only b/c the organization (and its players) is more accepting of different lifestyles. The women in the wnba are more comfortable being open about their sexuality unlike in the NBA where it would definitely become a stigma for even one or two of the players to be openly gay. It’s obvious that marketing to anything other than a general audience could possible alienate people. I think the wnba should continue marketing itself as "family friendly"; leave the interpretation of what it is entirely up to the public and their individual views. Also, it seems like a lot of people are focusing more on the players’ personal lives, instead of their performance on the court; both should be totally separate.
• Windy12 said April 23, 2009

  I am ok with lesbians one of my old girlfriends went to the other side and I met her with her new girlfrriend I thought they both looked ok and happy together and the new girlfriend didnt seem to have a problem with me so I cant see the problem. To fancy one of them though is s to try and steal someone's partner which isnt ok, it isnt ok at any time. Mind the two of them just loved teasing me, terrible!

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• symetta said April 27, 2009

  Chantelle thank you so much for commenting on my post! You are right about "marketing" and "Family Friendly" entertainment. I have been following your carrier and almost all of the NCAA players carrier, so it was only natural to go all the way with them when the "WNBA" and "American Basketball Asso." started, it was great, until people started saying only Lesbians are attracged to the WNBA. The games are there for everyone to watch, so why not accept the folks that buy the season tickets every year. The "WNBA franchise will never change the way people think, people hate what they don't understand. It is very hard to spend my money on things that hurt so much. Don't get me wrong I will never hate basketball, I will still watch the games, but I am not as excited as I was when the "WNBA" first started. (PS) I am a very good friend of (SPOON) and I hated the way inwhich she was treated, I have not been back to the Garden since. Cheryl Swoopes is my Hero. Honesty is always the best policy. I will be looking forward to watching you do your thing when the season starts, (on cable that is). Much love always.

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  • Chantelle7 replied April 27, 2009

    i understand how the leagues public non-acknowledgment of the GLBT community can hurt someone in that community. but that said, the league does a lot to support that community privately, such as providing same-sex benefits including insurance coverage to partners (how many other organizations are willing to provide that?). that's why i said, while the WNBA may not be able to outwardly support their lesbian supporters in the same way as y'all support us because of the prejudices of others and how the world of business works, the league as an organization is very supportive and does everything they realistically can to prove it. i know i may not be able to change your mind but either way, in addition to the ways the league does not support your community, i wanted to let you know the ways they do.
  • Chantelle7 replied April 27, 2009

    also, the WNBA does do some public things to include their gay and lesbian followers. last summer the Atlanta Dream (myself included) walked in the gay pride parade. a parade is pretty much as public as it gets.
• symetta said May 04, 2009

  OH Chantelle you are so sweet, you have a heart of gold. Thank you for such great information, it sure has calm my savage soul, lol. You attending the parade took a lot of courage and it shows that you are a very understading person. It's really good to know a bit about the inside of the organization. I am looking forward to the season starting, and some great basketball playing. Much love always!

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