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Ex-Player Claims “98% of the Women In The WNBA Are Gay”—And They Bully Straight Players

"The message was: ‘We want you to know we don’t like you,'" says former New York Liberty Candice Wiggins.

A former WNBA star has attacked the league, claiming most players are lesbians and that she was harassed for being straight and popular with fans.

“Me being heterosexual… and being vocal in my identity as a straight woman was huge,” Candice Wiggins, a former guard for the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, told the Chicago Tribune. “I would say 98% of the women in the WNBA are gay women. It was a conformist type of place. There was a whole different set of rules they could apply.”

Wiggins, who is working on her memoir, claims there was a “very harmful” culture in the WNBA during her eight-year career. She announced her retirement abruptly in March, after receiving a contract extension from the Liberty.

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 08: Candace Parker #3 (L) of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers greets Candice Wiggins #11 of the Stanford Cardinal during player introductions prior to the National Championsip Game of the 2008 NCAA Women's Final Four at St. Pete Times Forum April 8, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) Doug Benc/Getty Images “I wanted to play two more seasons of WNBA, but the experience didn’t lend itself to my mental state,” she explained. “It was a depressing state in the WNBA. It’s not watched. Our value is diminished. It can be quite hard. I didn’t like the culture inside the WNBA, and without revealing too much, it was toxic for me… My spirit was being broken.”

“People were deliberately trying to hurt me all of the time. I had never been called the B-word so many times in my life than I was in my rookie season. I’d never been thrown to the ground so much. The message was: ‘We want you to know we don’t like you.'”

Her frustration is fueled by the lack of respect she feels the WNBA receives. “We’re all fighting for crumbs… Viewership is minimal. Ticket sales are very low. They give away tickets and people don’t come to the game.”

Within the league, Wiggins claims, femininity was looked down upon.

“The way I looked, the way I played—those things contributed to the tension,” she says. “It comes to a point where you get compared so much to the men, you come to mirror the men,’ she said. “So many people think you have to look like a man, play like a man to get respect. I was the opposite. I was proud to a be a woman, and it didn’t fit well in that culture.”

While she says “there were horrible things happening to me every day,” Wiggins claims it ultimately made her stronger. “If I had not had this experience, I wouldn’t be as tough as I am.”

A number of past and current WNBA athletes have come out, but there’s no hard data on the number of lesbians in the league, which has more than 120 players. Her declaration has been rebuked by other players, including Chicago Sky center Imani Boyette, who says Wiggins is reinforcing stereotypes about women in basketball.

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by Anonymousreply 61March 30, 2020 5:03 PM

[quote]... she was harassed for being straight and popular with fans.

Maybe they didn't like you on your own merits, not because you were straight, honey.

by Anonymousreply 1February 24, 2017 8:19 AM

What a cunt. Lesbians are the easiest people to get along with on the planet.

by Anonymousreply 2February 24, 2017 8:21 AM

I wonder... Do these lesbian women really "bully" "straight women" ? Or is it that one closeted bisexual ex-player feels oppressed because lesbian women declined to be her bit on the side?

by Anonymousreply 3February 24, 2017 8:37 AM

In any pro tennis match one could always bet on the certainty that Billie Jean King would lick the competition!

by Anonymousreply 4February 24, 2017 8:39 AM

98%? Really Candy? Get a grip girl.

by Anonymousreply 5February 24, 2017 8:45 AM

Tee hee someone implied cunnilingus.

by Anonymousreply 6February 24, 2017 8:55 AM

Does anyone - except lesbians - attend these games?

by Anonymousreply 7February 24, 2017 9:08 AM

She sounds insufferable.

by Anonymousreply 8February 24, 2017 9:25 AM

No r7."That average attendance of 9,664 in 1997 swelled to a peak of 10,864 in 1998, then began its gradual downward descent." Let's face it, there are only so many men or women who want to go to these games. There aren't even that many women who give a shit about sports to begin with. The WNBA is a charity organization at this point.

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by Anonymousreply 9February 24, 2017 9:29 AM

WNBGay

by Anonymousreply 10February 24, 2017 9:32 AM

She's not lying or exaggerating about the league. Those are some hard women with a hell of a lot of testosterone. I agree completely that lesbians are easy to get along with, but we are not talking about garden variety lesbians. The culture these women have come up in is quite different from women's tennis, volleyball and other team sports. Most of the players honed their talents originally on the courts in the 'hood while playing wit the boys. Many adopted the masculine, macho traits of the flashy pick up players they grew up with.

I am surprised that the WNBA is still operating. It is a huge money loser and as she said, they can't even give the tickets away. Men don't want to watch them, an truthfully not many women do either. This is not a very PC analogy, but if the NFL or NBA was full of men who looked like "The Prancing Elites" of Mobile, Alabama, straight and gay men would be much less likely to follow even the two top US sports. So, it's kind of like that in reverse. Hetero men love lesbians, but not that sort of lesbian. They are turned off by lesbians who look like they could beat their asses and steal their lunch money.

Having said all that, Candice was kind of an ass for coming out with this. What did she expect? It's not as though she hadn't gone through college for four years and seen what was ahead of her.

by Anonymousreply 11February 24, 2017 9:47 AM

You cannot pretty up pro basketball women.

by Anonymousreply 12February 24, 2017 10:36 AM

Duh!

by Anonymousreply 13February 24, 2017 12:43 PM

Not surprised. Many women in sports are gay... sports tend to favor testosterone. That's why gay male players in sports are bullied.. because they are seen as less masculine (the gay stereotype). Sports equal masculinity. And many lesbians are more masculine/butch than your average woman. Lesbians are drawn to sports, gay men are to a much lesser degree.

by Anonymousreply 14February 24, 2017 12:51 PM

Funny coming from a woman who constantly entertained pro ballers while still in college and was pretty in your face about it. She has also been a homophobe and a racist for years.

by Anonymousreply 15February 24, 2017 12:55 PM

I can't believe that people on DATALOUNGE could question the possibility of gay people being bullies.

by Anonymousreply 16February 24, 2017 12:58 PM

Wasn't Danny Thomas one?

by Anonymousreply 17February 24, 2017 1:25 PM

In the Lesbo world the older, fatter, and uglier you are - the more you are in demand!

by Anonymousreply 18February 24, 2017 1:37 PM

[quote]Most of the players honed their talents originally on the courts in the 'hood while playing wit the boys.

You're a massive racist.

by Anonymousreply 19February 24, 2017 1:51 PM

Lesbians are super nice to you ... if you're gay.

by Anonymousreply 20February 24, 2017 2:02 PM

Dykes and women in general can be the worst tyrants when put in positions of authority.

Holly Ann Graf is a retired Captain in the United States Navy. Until January 2010 she was commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), a major surface combatant vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the U.S. Navy.

Graf was relieved of command for abusive behavior unbecoming of an officer and was featured in Time magazine as a female Captain Bligh.[2] The US Navy forced Graf into early retirement in 2012, but allowed her to do so at her current rank of Captain and under "honorable circumstances."[3]

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by Anonymousreply 21February 24, 2017 2:06 PM

"Hetero men love lesbians"

No, they don't. They love straight women who are willing-- or, more often, forced by financial desperation-- to perform a bastardized version of "lesbianism" for their sexual entertainment. Not really the same thing.

by Anonymousreply 22February 24, 2017 2:28 PM

R19 How so?

by Anonymousreply 23February 24, 2017 2:36 PM

Did this ex-player take a poll while she was playing in the league? How did she come up with the 98% figure? Is it just a random number that popped into her head?

Yes, there are lots of lesbians in the WNBA and I'm sure there are some who are bullies (like some individuals in any other demographic) but I don't think it's that high.

by Anonymousreply 24February 24, 2017 2:40 PM

Being "vocal about her [straight] identity" usually means being a loud evangelical Christian, who homophobically feels the need announce it every opportunity.

by Anonymousreply 25February 24, 2017 2:44 PM

I miss the days when women's basketball was much more feminine, when sexy, attractive and feminine women like Cheryl Miller, Nancy Lieberman and Annie Myers ruled the roost. I bet if they were out there the WNBA would be thriving!

by Anonymousreply 26February 24, 2017 2:51 PM

I can see it. I was ostracized as census taker. We had finished the first round and the high performers were reorganized to deal with the hard core refusers.

Our section head and her lesbian minions really worked to shut out myself and another woman from the crew. Absolute bullying.

Side note: The reason I was a successful census taker was the persona I chose when out on the route. I dressed like a garden club member, flowery dresses and straw hats . Everyone opened their door to me as I looked so harmless and non-governmental. They were surprised when the nice lady threatened to call the cops to force them to comply. "You don't live here? Do the home owners know? Oh then I guess the police would like to book you as a trespasser"

by Anonymousreply 27February 24, 2017 2:55 PM

WNBA, LPGA, and women's tennis are all loaded with the lesbos.

by Anonymousreply 28February 24, 2017 3:02 PM

Good for the gay players.

by Anonymousreply 29February 24, 2017 3:31 PM

In other breaking news:

It turns out water is wet!

by Anonymousreply 30February 24, 2017 4:02 PM

R27 = Senatrice Linsdsey Graham

by Anonymousreply 31February 24, 2017 4:13 PM

This is such bullshit. Wiggins is a born again Christian and has been on the 700 Club. She has an autobiography coming out this spring. I don't believe for a second that those mean lesbians bullied her, but it makes for great copy and the fundies will love it: poor little Christian girl persecuted and bullied by butch lesbos. She'll also say being around gay people was such a trial because as a born again she knows they're going to hell. Only she'll do a variation on hate the sin love the sinner.

She played in the WNBA for eight years without saying anything; she also got eight years older and lost a step. Happens to everybody and the younger, better players take over.

I'm looking forward to the WNBA's response. There's a lot we don't know about this lying has-been.

by Anonymousreply 32February 24, 2017 4:23 PM

The WNBA needs a massive makeover, from a Glam Squad of gay men!

New, more femme hairstyles and makeup! Designer uniforms that really show off a gal's curves! New, sexier choreography, with EDM entrance and exit music! More boobs, more blondes, more bang for your buck.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

by Anonymousreply 33February 24, 2017 4:39 PM

Wait, so there's a lot of lesbians in the WNBA? Huh...

by Anonymousreply 34February 24, 2017 5:07 PM

60-65% lez would be more realistic. In women's soccer it's around 58%.

by Anonymousreply 35February 24, 2017 5:53 PM

And guess what. Most female police officers in the USA are dykes. And a very high percentage of females in the military are also lesbians.

by Anonymousreply 36February 24, 2017 6:03 PM

I'm tired of heterosexuals flaunting their sexuality everywhere they go.

by Anonymousreply 37February 24, 2017 6:47 PM

So true!

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by Anonymousreply 38February 24, 2017 7:18 PM

Candace Wiggins has a memoir? Jesus. Yes, she was a good player, but still.

by Anonymousreply 39February 24, 2017 7:27 PM

We HEART diesels like Chaz Bono!

by Anonymousreply 40February 24, 2017 7:28 PM

"This is not a very PC analogy, but if the NFL or NBA was full of men who looked like "The Prancing Elites" of Mobile, Alabama, straight and gay men would be much less likely to follow even the two top US sports. "

Maybe, but don't you also think it has to do with the fact that the very best players are in the NBA. Why watch women's BB, when all men's BB players at the pro level are better? That sounds simplistic, and sexist, but isn't it true to a degree. There are exceptions - women's tennis, women's figure skating, some Olympic sports when they're actually available for viewing, for example - they have good audiences despite the men being "better". But, in a lot of instances, don't you simply want to see a sport at its highest level? Not that you wouldn't watch a gold medal womens BB game, or, in soccer, the Womens World Cup final - isolated prestigious events. But, day to day, do you want to watch women instead of simply watching men?

by Anonymousreply 41February 24, 2017 7:38 PM

Her father died of AIDs, but the family tries to claim he was straight.

So I'm sure she comes from a really *healthy* place mentally to deal with being surrounded by gay people.

But seriously, as lesbians we deal with frightened straight women, angry or horny straight men, hell even liberals (with the whole you must have cosign with accepting trans as women and have sex with them, and you must cosign on the delusion that bi/straight women that have sex with men all the time are "lesbians"), and always being outnumbered.

But this broad is so brittle she can't get by in the one little place where lesbians are the majority?

There are other straight WNBA players, and they seem to be quite friendly with the gay players, so the problem is her.

by Anonymousreply 42February 24, 2017 11:54 PM

You sound very biased, R42, especially for someone who didn't witness her experience amongst the lesbians. My straight, pretty, non-religious niece had a similar experience in high school with a summer softball league. The entire team identified as lesbian and they taunted my niece at every practice -for no reason, as my niece was an excellent player.

by Anonymousreply 43February 25, 2017 12:55 AM

I've always said a dyke could kick any straight man's ass any day. You never hear of straight women yelling homophobic epithets at lesbians. They wouldn't dare. They know what time it is.

by Anonymousreply 44February 25, 2017 1:02 AM

I love how tons straight (and gay) WNBA players have been dragging her online.

by Anonymousreply 45February 25, 2017 2:45 AM

R43, I think it's telling that all you know is that your niece relates that the softball players were bitchy to her, and you're drawing a connection to their sexuality being related to the (alleged) bullying.

The fact is, all of this particular player's former co-workers, including prominent straight ones, have called bullshit.

by Anonymousreply 46February 25, 2017 2:47 AM

R19 Again, I ask you what did I say which caused you to make such a harsh accusation? I am in the business, and everything I typed was straight from my black clients(in sports.) Am I "racist" for speaking truth?

by Anonymousreply 47February 25, 2017 3:07 AM

R46, I attended my niece's games and saw it for myself. Her teammates were vulgar and rude and had zero sportsmanship. They behaved in a disgusting manner, including crotch-grabbing, aggressive hugging, and so on. They yelled like rednecks and taunted my "Princess" niece because she is feminine and mannerly and she performed better than they did. This was in North Carolina of all places.

And really, is it a "fact that ALL of this particular player's former co-workers, including prominent straight ones, have called bullshit."

You don't even know what a fact is so shut your stupid dykey mouth.

by Anonymousreply 48February 25, 2017 3:19 AM

I don't think that R46 is a "stupid dyke." I don't believe that R46 is a "dyke" of any sort.

But even if I am wrong, you are a boorish cunt.

by Anonymousreply 49February 25, 2017 4:03 AM

[quote]shut your stupid dykey mouth

Never mind, all you arguments are invalid, I'm sure your neice is a homophobe just like you.

by Anonymousreply 50February 25, 2017 11:19 AM

Bump for original thread.

by Anonymousreply 51February 27, 2017 11:00 PM
by Anonymousreply 52March 18, 2018 6:22 PM

I thought the NCAA was still on ESPN and turned it on and kind of went about doing other things when I stopped and watched the screen and wondered where the audience was and why the score was so low. Then I realized it was the Women's NCAA and it was just pathetically boring.

by Anonymousreply 53March 19, 2018 9:19 AM

this is a garbage thread.

by Anonymousreply 54March 19, 2018 10:03 AM
by Anonymousreply 55August 30, 2018 6:51 AM

Fuck off, Cunt! Now you know how it feels!

by Anonymousreply 56August 30, 2018 6:53 AM

🏀 ⛹

by Anonymousreply 57March 30, 2020 4:38 PM

No, not all gay women are nice. I’ve dealt with both friendly and horrible lesbians at my workplace. The women who hate men are the worse.

by Anonymousreply 58March 30, 2020 4:42 PM

[quote]What a cunt. Lesbians are the easiest people to get along with on the planet.

BULL. SHIT.

by Anonymousreply 59March 30, 2020 4:59 PM

[quote]You sound very biased, [R42], especially for someone who didn't witness her experience amongst the lesbians. My straight, pretty, non-religious niece had a similar experience in high school with a summer softball league. The entire team identified as lesbian and they taunted my niece at every practice -for no reason, as my niece was an excellent player.

I believe you.

by Anonymousreply 60March 30, 2020 5:01 PM

[quote] And a very high percentage of females in the military are also lesbians.

Right, and they cover for the male soldiers and officers who sexually assault women.

by Anonymousreply 61March 30, 2020 5:03 PM
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