Brittney Griner, Gender, Sexuality, and Media Representation By: Brett Schneider

Media coverage revolving around Brittney Griner as a homosexual female basketball player placed a lot of emphasis on her gender characteristics, with much of the focus covering her as a woman who is clearly above every other female athlete in terms of ability and size. In one article on The Grio, her physical characteristics, including wing-span and hand size, are compared to those of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, hinting at the fact that her body closely resembles some of the most masculine qualities of male bodies. The article then argues that even though Griner obtains these characteristics, her status as a female will leave her empty handed in terms of earning similar opportunities that are available to male athletes, such as trying out for the NBA.

        On the other side of the spectrum, some articles disagree with the notion that Griner should be able to compete with men, with the focus consistently emphasizing differences in gender. Jason Witlock, former Fox Sports writer suggested that the rumors of Griner being able to compete in the NBA as “silly.” Additionally, Witlock argues that a woman playing in a men’s professional league would not only ruin Griner as a player and a brand, but would also diminish the women’s game as a whole, citing the differences in physicality for post players as the main reason for probable failure.

        While questions of whether or not Griner could compete in a men’s league given her status as a woman continued to be debated, a general consensus has been created by mainstream outlets in regards to supporting Griner as a gay woman. Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post gave outspoken support in her 2012 article that focuses on the harsh realities surrounding Griner, including backlash and criticism from those that for some reason with her physical characteristics. Hamilton focuses on questions that revolve around Griner and her gender, including those who watch her play basketball or hear her speak and believe that she couldn’t possibly be a woman.  The Huffington Post has even gone as far as calling Griner their “favorite openly lesbian athletes.”

        Overall, the media representation surrounding Griner, her gender, and her sexuality seems to be in a place where the media is increasingly accepting of openly gay athletes, but is not willing to allow female athletes of any kind to enter the spectrum of the men’s game. Much of the emphasi
s settled on the suggestions that even though Griner carried similar physical traits of male basketball players, the differences in strength and power between gender is still ideologically too far apart.

Sources:

1.       Hamilton, Tracee. “Brittney Griner’s gender? Shame on those who even ask the question.” April 4, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/brittney-griners-gender-shame-on-those-who-even-even-ask-the-question/2012/04/04/gIQAjOnIvS_story.html

2.       Healey, Carrie. “Does Brittney Griner deserve a shot at the NBA?” April 4, 2013. http://thegrio.com/2013/04/04/does-brittney-griner-deserve-a-shot-at-the-nba/

3.       Nichols, James. “Brittney Griner Proposes To Girlfriend Glory Johnson.” August 15, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/15/brittney-griner-proposal_n_5682792.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices   

4.       Witlock, Jason. “NBA tryout gimmick a win for no one.” June 2, 2014. http://www.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/brittney-griner-nba-tryout-does-nothing-for-womens-game-movement-040413