Letters to the Editor
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Some responses
Some thoughts in response to various posts:
1. Rutgers certainly does nothing to hide the nickname, so you should blame the reporters. In fact, the women's basketball team was called the "Lady Knights" before C. Vivian Stringer came to Rutgers, and apparently she thought was silly, so they went back to the regular school nickname. (For those who want real nickname trivia, Rutgers once was the Chanticleers, which would be even more unusual for a women's team. On the other hand, Delaware's teams, male and female, are called the Blue Hens.)
2. I'm glad someone highlighted the gender issue, in part because I think that bothered the team and the coach much more than has been reported. For instance, during the press conference Kia Vaughn, the starting center, talked about how she wasn't a ho unless the definition had changed.
3. Women's college basketball players are much more like regular college students than most people think. Essence Carson, for instance, is carrying a double major in music and psychology, neither of which is exactly easy(and Rutgers has one of the better performing arts programs - she had to audition to get into it). Women's basketball players have a much higher graduation rate than men's basketball players or football players, and a surprising number of them graduate early. Characterizing them as "genetic freaks, pumped up on steroids" is about as unfair (and ill-informed) as what Imus said. In fact, compare what Carson, Vaughn, Ajavon and Zurich said during the press conference to what you hear every day from male athletes, and the difference is apparent.
4. Finally, it's moments like these that create the cracks in the wall of racism and sexism. Yes, you need to work constantly against them, but specific events crystallize attitudes, and this one opened (or closed, whichever direction you think represents progress) the door just a little bit more.