We know the vast majority of NBA fans don’t care at all about the WNBA. They’re incredibly ignorant, but there’s no accounting for taste. Plus, all those fans who deem the women’s league below their basketball purview should probably stop watching quite so much sluggish NCAA basketball, which is still lightyears behind the beautiful ball movement displayed in the women’s game at the professional level. Plus, we know they’d get their butts whooped by even the last woman called from a WNBA bench.
But not watching the WNBA is still preferable over those men stuck in an anachronistic era when women were only vessels for men’s enjoyment, rather than people. One such atavistic slug is former NBA player, Gilbert Arenas.
Gil posted perhaps the most overt act of misogyny we’ve seen in the new millennium while taking a swipe at the WNBA (here’s a screen capture in case he smartly decides to delete it). We’re just going to link to the post because it features a pair of bikini-clad women playing basketball together with this vapid caption that reads like an early Mad Men manifesto:
NOW this is what america was hoping for when they announced the #WNBA back in 1996… not a bunch of chicks running around looking like,cast members from #orangeisthenewblack…dont get me wrong,they have few #cutiepies but theres a whole alotta #beanpies running around hahahahahaha if #skylardiggins came out like this,I dont care if she missed every layup..imma buy season tickets and I dont even know where the fuck #tulsa is hahahaha #2016newwnbaoutfitPLS and if u think this is sexist,9 times out of 10 u the ugly one and we didnt pay to come see u play anyway #donkeykong …smdh #thiswillbeawesome #soldouteverywhere
We think this is sexist, as will anyone with an IQ above 80. (The author of this post is actually pretty ugly, but everyone else at Uproxx is hot and they all agree Arenas is the worst.)
This week Gilbert Arenas and Rajon Rondo made me feel a lot better about not enjoying the way they actually played basketball.
— Kelly Dwyer (@KDonhoops) December 16, 2015
Even if you don’t like watching the WNBA, or you’d prefer to watch women in bikinis play basketball, that doesn’t excuse this sort of medieval thinking about female athletes. Someone needs to let Arenas know.
Or, perhaps he’s just frustrated because he shoots way too early.
UPDATE:
The following statement on the Arenas post is from Mike Bass, the league spokesman for the NBA and WNBA:
“Gilbert Arenas’s comments are repugnant, utterly disrespectful and flat-out wrong. WNBA players are strong, talented and determined individuals who give it their all on the court and serve as inspiring role models to millions around the world. They should be celebrated for their accomplishments, not disparaged with ignorant insults.”
(Via Instagram)