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WNBA newcomers are ready to elevate women’s basketball

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Kayla Grant theGrio.com

From Angel Reese to Rickea Jackson, 2024 WNBA Rookies talk to theGrio about reaching recent heights in basketball and more.

If this era in sports proves anything, it’s that the essential event is women’s basketball.

This 12 months’s NCAA Championship Game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Iowa Hawkeyes drew the biggest audience in women’s college basketball history and have become the most-watched college basketball game since 2019. peaking at 24.1 million viewers. The women’s match significantly outperformed the lads’s championship match between the University of Connecticut and Purdue, which drew 14.8 million viewers. Then, Monday night’s WNBA Draft became the most-watched WNBA event on ESPN platforms, attracting 3.09 million viewers who couldn’t wait to see where their favorite players would begin their skilled careers.

“We are witnessing a moment of transformation in sports,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a news conference Monday evening. “Women’s basketball is not a passing fad. We have been steadily building this momentum for years and we are ready for what comes next.”

The newest generation of athletes in women’s sports is raising the bar and experiencing a large number of extraordinary and unprecedented opportunities. Engelbert noted that women’s basketball, especially among the many 2024 draft class, is on the forefront of change within the industry. In addition to enormous talent, each player brings undying love and keenness to the sport. Inspired by the legendary players who got here before them like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker and coach-turned-champion Dawn Staley, the 2024 draft class is breaking glass ceilings after glass and taking every opportunity available to showcase the abilities they convey to the table – each each on and off the court.

In addition to their undeniable talent, these young women’s presence off the sphere brings a brand new level of recognition to the world of women’s sports. With the introduction of NIL (name, image and likeness) contracts, players are leveraging their unique personalities to attract a brand new fan base for women’s basketball – and this long-awaited opportunity shouldn’t be one to be taken calmly. According to former UConn player Aaliyah Edwards, who spoke to theGrio after announcing she would join the Washington Mystics next season, it is a moment ripe for “humanizing the basketball player” off the court.

Already blazing a trail of celebrity endorsements, “Bayou Barbie” Angel Reese, who raised the bar for NIL deals after announcing her departure from LSU within the semifinals to join the Chicago Sky. It has secured 17 sponsorship deals for the 2022-2023 WNBA season, including partnerships with Amazon, Raising Cane’s, McDonald’s and Coach. With each collaboration, Reese gained a brand new audience, showing not only WNBA fans however the world that there was more to her than simply basketball. As Grio said in the course of the 2024 WNBA Draft, she understands the facility behind each deal and says there is not any likelihood she’ll stop anytime soon.

“(NIL deals) bring more commitment to the game,” Reese said after falling from the head of being drafted to the Chicago Sky. “This class is historic and I think we can all continue to do so. The offers don’t end there, and we will be on the big screens. We will be in commercials that everyone can see.”

In addition to showing how influential and essential such deals may be in advancing an athlete’s profession, Reese’s success highlights the opportunities available to a lot of her WNBA teammates who try to subsidize salaries that are still a small fraction of those offered to even the lowest-ranking players. – Paid male players within the NBA.

In the 2022-2023 season, WNBA players received them average annual salary amounting to $116,580, and the highest-earning players will receive $242,000. By comparison, NBA players earned a median salary of greater than $10 million. Women in sports have been advocating for equal pay and recognition for many years, and the present generation of athletes are continuing that fight. Speaking with theGrio, the overwhelming desire of the category of 2024 is expansion and equality in basketball.

“I want everything we deserve,” said Rickea Jackson, newly drafted to the LA Sparks from the University of Tennessee, referring to the charter flights, big TV deals and nationally televised games that are standard within the NBA. “I feel like we just deserve all of this. This class in particular really takes it up a notch and raises the bar.”

As newcomers to a 27-year-old league, in addition they have an enormous burden on their shoulders. Balancing this recent chapter and advocacy responsibilities with continued agility and respect for many who paved the way in which isn’t any easy task. It’s a balancing act that the majority women know all too well. But if this 12 months’s class can learn anything from other groundbreaking women in sports, like gymnast Gabby Douglas and tennis star Naomi Osaka, it is the importance of prioritizing mental health and well-being.

This draft class has shown a surprisingly clear mental game, which it also plays. Before the draft, Reese made headlines when she revealed the mental toll of being often called a fierce competitor. In an interview with theGrio, Reese noted that she uses journaling and the support of other professionals to get through difficult times.

Similarly, Celeste Taylor, the fifteenth overall pick within the draft who’s currently headed to Indiana Fevers, told the Grio that she all the time keeps her Bible handy to stay grounded in any respect times. In addition to her mutual support and shut connection to her faith, Jackson told the Grio that when she needs extra strength, she relies on her boyfriend and her two fashionably named dogs, Chanel and Fendi.

“The women in the W(NBA) are absolutely the strongest women,” said Charisma Osborne, reflecting on her journey into the league. “Sometimes there’s a lot of adversity and seeing how far this game has grown, I’m very excited to be a part of it.”

The ultimate goal for each player on this 12 months’s draft class is similar: growing the WNBA. During their rookie seasons, each draftee hopes to proceed to raise the extent of play for future generations. As Commissioner Engelbert stated, this renewed excitement and interest within the WNBA will last “more than a while.” Her sentiments echo within the hearts and minds of each player, they usually are ready to rise to the occasion.

“(I want to) continue to make people see us and notice us and know that we are more than just basketball players,” Taylor told the Grio. “It will take some time. If you invest in us, we will repay you tenfold.”


Kayla Grant is a multimedia journalist whose work may be found on Business Insider, Shondaland, Oz Magazine, Prism, Rolling Out, and more. He writes about cultural, book and entertainment news. Follow her on Twitter: @TheKaylaGrant

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Thanks to the Knicks, Marc Lamont Hill will publicly admit that I’m smarter than him

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A couple of hours before the start of the Knicks-76ers series, I texted Marc Lamont Hill. I asked, “Do you want to bet on this series or are you (not a real man)?” There aren’t any other options.” (We’ve been boyfriends for a very long time, so we argue with one another sometimes.) He asked, “What are the stakes?” I said, “$100 plus, go on the Internet and tell me I’m smarter than you. Not smarter than you at basketball. Just smarter than you. For some reason he decided to make a bet. Maybe I actually am smarter than him.

Hill is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. You can have seen him sitting in the front row at Sixers games. He is considered one of the most famous individuals who commonly goes to Sixers games. You might say, but wait, Hill is not that famous. You’d be right. It was a dig. Also, like Kendrick, he wears size 7 shoes. Let’s proceed.

If you might be a bettor, you like seeing people betting wholeheartedly. And should you like trolling people, there’s nothing higher than teasing a person when his team’s season is coming to an end. It hurts when your teams lose. I like to make this pain worse.

Hill hates when his teams lose. So as soon as his team gets eliminated, I show up on his phone and say some silly shit. One time, right when his team was losing, I texted, “I’m sorry for your loss.” He immediately wrote back: “You are a monster.” We are friends, I promise.

We have not bet on the Knicks and Sixers before because the Knicks have been garbage for many of the last twenty years, but we did bet on the Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants. He will bet on any team that has Philadelphia in its name. I believe I’ve probably taken a number of meals out of his kid’s mouths over the last decade. #Kanyeshrug.

Of course, we don’t place bets and remain silent. What’s so funny about that? If my white male friends and I are betting on a sporting event, I stay quiet and polite until it’s throughout. But in Hill’s case, or really any black friend’s case, if we’re betting on something, it means I’ve mainly paid for the right to troll you so long as my team wins. You cannot turn me off since you’re bored with hearing my mouth. That was the point of putting money on the line. You cannot ignore a person while you owe him money, and while you lose a bet, it’s technically the same as him owing you money. I do not make the rules.

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Considering Hill mainly owes me money, he has to listen to me tell him how bad his favorite team is and the way silly he was to bet money on it. I like this part. It’s not enough to win the bet, you furthermore may have to discover a place to tell your friend that he was an idiot for putting the bet.

Consider this essay as one other example of all this. I’m trolling Hill at the moment. On Grio.com. I tell him his team is on the brink of losing and he cannot trust the process. If you’re thinking that I’ve been disrespectful in the press, you must see what I tell him in my text messages. You know he’s a real friend when you’ll be able to talk wildly and meanly to one another and it’s all love. It’s me and Hill. My brother called me a monster and I laughed.

Either way, the Knicks are on the cusp of ending off the Sixers, and I’m here dunking on Hill. In the immortal words of Ice Cube, today is a fantastic day. The thing is, I’m not a Knicks fan. I hate their owner, James Dolan, who some people think he’s worst owner in sports. It was also called “stupidest owner in sports” I am unable to support him. There’s just one thing I’ll put aside my hatred for Dolan for, and that’s the likelihood to troll Dr. Hill. Can you think it – I’d reasonably Dolan be blissful than Hill. I hate Dolan and I like Hill, but still. True friends don’t desire the other person to be blissful in sports.

Hill will owe me $100. Please support his bookstore, Uncle Bobbyso that he has enough money to pay me.

Tonight, after the Knicks win, please go to Hill’s Instagram page and look out for the video where Hill says Touré is smarter than Hill. I do know him. He’s going to post it on his story so it goes away. All right. I will repost it on my grid. It will live there ceaselessly.



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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White UFC fighter Michael Chandler faces backlash for admitting he’s raising his two black adopted sons not to see color

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UFC fighter Michael Chandler says he

Mixed martial arts champion Michael Chandler talked about fatherhood. Chandler, who’s white, and his wife Brie adopted two boys, each of African-American descent.

In 2017, the couple welcomed their first adoptive son, Hap, and in 2022, they welcomed Ace. Chandler, nevertheless, suggested that his kid’s race was the furthest thing from his mind. “I’m not raising black kids, I’m raising kids,” Chandler said on April 22 on “Shawn Ryan show

UFC fighter Michael Chandler says he is raising his two adopted black sons not to care about race or skin color.
UFC fighter Michael Chandler says he’s raising his two adopted black sons not to care about race or skin color. (Photos: @briechandler/Instagram)

The 38-year-old UFC star expressed her belief that identity politics can create an environment where people forget that everyone seems to be human first.

Instead of specializing in the race of his adoptive children, Chandler said he does his best to raise his black children in the way in which he thinks is best, with the hope that they may eventually grow into decent men.

“Whether you’re black or white, regardless of your race, there are certain things that come with being a man and being a good man in terms of character and integrity and protecting the vulnerable and supporting those who need it,” Chandler said.

“Being a very good person with a very good fame has nothing to do with the color of your skin. Everything has to do with an individual’s character. This might be not a solution that some would consider essential, however the world has moved on this direction.

From Chandler’s perspective, an individual’s character can transcend race, age, and religion.

“When we predict that a very powerful thing about us is the color of our skin, gender, political affiliation or all these different identity politics or identities that we give to one another, when in reality we are only people on this earth. There are some things about being a very good individual that transcend skin color, age, gender and religion.

Chandler’s view on race sparked a firestorm of response on social media. Some have suggested that Chandler’s parenting techniques will ultimately harm his children.

“Most of the answers are: ‘But how will they survive racism?’ The greater crime here is *being* black while *stealing* from blackness. He robs them too, not just fails to protect them. It both deceives these two boys and strips them of their cultural identity AND leaves them unprepared for the world.” one person wrote on X

Others have described Chandler’s thought process as “wishful thinking.”

“NO. I just listened to 5 minutes and 30 seconds of fantasy and wishful thinking. I’m raising black children and they need to understand what it means to be black, not only in America, but in this world.” other person he wrote.

Another X account he asserted that despite Chandler’s best efforts, his children would ultimately be seen as black men.

“He means well and it shows. They will have an incredibly happy childhood. But when they grow up and you’re not there to hold their hand, the world will see them as black men. It’s OK that they’re prepared for it.”

“I think his heart is in the right place but I HOPE he doesn’t have to learn the hard way that raising children of color is different” – one other social media user he wrote. “Yes, it is best to raise them to be honest, worthwhile men/women, but all it takes is one event with someone/one who is not like that and all of it gets thrown out since it all comes down to the color of their skin. Many white individuals are unaware of this, which does not imply they’re bad or don’t care, but for those who are white and raising children of color, it’s your responsibility to understand, educate yourself and, if needed, talk to black fathers.”

In 2017, Chandler recalled how he burst into tears shortly after first seeing a photograph of his 9-month-old son, Hap.

“We wanted to have a newborn by six months. It’s just funny how you’ve gotten your preferences and plans after which suddenly God just says no. He was nine months old. They sent us an image of him and as soon as I saw it, I felt it inside and began crying. I just thought, ‘That’s my son,'” Chandler said in an interview with MMA fight.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Chicago Sky really messed up Angel Reese’s introductory press conference

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Women’s basketball is hot right away.

I feel very confident in saying that through the NCAA tournament I saw way more excitement in the ladies’s games than in the boys’s games, a NCAA confirmed that the viewership of the ladies’s final, which peaked at 24 million, was greater than the viewership of the boys’s final for the primary time in history. It was also essentially the most watched sporting event (outside football and the Olympics) since 2019.

We are experiencing such a moment right away.

Women’s basketball is nothing latest, however the sport’s newest class of stars has drawn a brand new legion of fans to the game, generating a buzz and fervor that has made it nearly inconceivable for a lot of WNBA teams to get tickets ahead of the beginning of the season.

Price WNBA League Season Ticket increased this yr to $35, a rise of $10 from last yr’s price.

(If you care in any respect about women’s basketball and that ladies receives a commission a good wage, support the league by subscribing to a season ticket. You spend more on coffee through the week. That’s the top of my soapbox rant.)

Just days after Angel Reese was drafted to the Chicago Sky, her jersey (No. 5) was sold out on the WNBA website and ticket sales for Chicago Sky games skyrocketed. in line with WGN.

The doll formerly often known as Bayou Barbie will now be often known as Chi Barbie, and he or she is as excited to play within the WNBA as WNBA fans are wanting to see her play.

Given the hype and excitement surrounding Angel Reese, I used to be shocked to see the lackluster welcome press conference held for her.

Reese arrived in Chicago last Tuesday, and on Wednesday, she held her welcome news conference on the park’s gymnasium, with little fanfare, a small press gathering and no cheering fans.

Take a have a look at the comments on this video from the Chicago Sky YouTube channel, in addition to many videos on this topic ICT Tokwill show that fans didn’t appreciate the lackluster welcome from someone who brings a ton of star power to the team and town.

Compared to Caitlin Clark’s reception received in Indiana and what the Minnesota Lynx did to welcome Alissa Pili was pretty lackluster.

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Indiana Fever treated Clark like royalty, literally rolling out the red carpet for her and transporting her to the conference in a Mercedes Sprinter, where she was greeted by screaming fans.

The Minnesota Lynx honored Pili, who’s from Alaska and Samoa, by inviting tribal dancers to perform. She was also welcomed by Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

It was a poor performance for Chicago, nevertheless it also highlighted the continuing disparity between the way in which Angel Reese is usually treated and the way in which everyone else is treated.

It’s true that there isn’t any guarantee that Angel will even make the squad, as she admitted in her welcome press conference, but she still needed to be celebrated in a way that may honor her major achievement of ending seventh in the primary round competitions. WNBA project.

You might get the impression that the Chicago Sky press team failed because, for some reason, Kamilla Cardosa’s press conference apparently took place via Zoom.

Whatever the explanation, Angel Reese deserves higher. She has worked hard to get where she is and is set to earn her place at Sky.

“…It’s crazy to see the impact,” she said at a news conference. “As somewhat girl, I all the time admired many great WNBA players. Being capable of see my name on the back of my shirt is amazing. Of course, I have not even joined the team yet. Being capable of be within the moment and understand what it means to be here – because not everyone has that chance – like I said, I’m not going to take it without any consideration. I would like to return and work hard on daily basis and do whatever it takes because I don’t need my place taken.

Despite the lackluster welcome conference, Angel seems to know this.

Let’s hope the Chicago Sky news team understands this in the long run.



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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