The WNBA has exploded in popularity, thanks in no small part to the additions of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in 2024. The increase in popularity has already started paying dividends for the league in the form of media rights deals and league expansion.
However, it’s also led to intense fan scrutiny, both on and off the floor. Unfortunately, women are judged by different standards than men in society, and that’s especially the case when it comes to marketing their bodies, something men are allowed to do freely.
WNBA free agent Kysre Gondrezick recently modeled for Playboy Magazine, becoming the first professional female black athlete to do so.
However, many WNBA fans took exception.
“And all it took was for Playboy to become an online bot like acct with no relevance in society anymore… thanks playboy!” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“it’s so beautiful when Black female athletes can be objectified in the same way their white counterparts are,” someone else added.
“People kept joking about her dropping an OnlyFans only for her to drop something even BIGGER,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how the women of the WNBA continue to market themselves. Hopefully, fans begin to realize that they should have every opportunity men have.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.