Money isn't everything
This is a blog by Chantelle Anderson. Chantelle is a former All-American center at Vanderbilt. She's played in the WNBA for San Antonio and Atlanta. Her knees have betrayed her at the professional level and I believe she's trying to hook on with a team overseas. She's a very intelligent person and I found this blog to be very thought provoking and I'm sure some of you will, also.
Ok so today I was having a conversation on my Twitter with a sports blogger named Patrick. Looking at his blog, he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, but I couldn’t get past his negative comments on the WNBA. So I called him out on it. He is of the opinion, as are many other men that have so eloquently commented on my blog, that the WNBA is a terrible brand of basketball and a complete waste of energy for anyone involved – namely the NBA, who financially backs the league.
And while I will not sit here and argue that the WNBA is the smartest of business moves for the NBA where money is concerned, I do want to share with you why I believe it’s worth the effort.
A few years ago, while playing for San Antonio, I visited Austin for the day to speak at four different schools. After speaking at the first high school, the basketball coach pulled me aside and started telling me about this girl, Tamika (name has been changed), who had been an all conference freshman the year before, but had since quit basketball to do other things. Those other things included hanging out with known gang members, getting suspended from school, and as it was rumored, selling drugs (which I was later told had been true). She asked if I could talk to the girl one-on-one. I had to leave to make it to my next appearance so I told the coach if she brought her to the gym, I’d come back after school.
A few hours later, I was in the gym, waiting for Tamika to show up. I’d been waiting about five minutes when she walked in, wearing a huge red t-shirt, baggy red jean shorts, black tennis shoes with red laces, and swaggin it up like she was Jay-Z or something. In my head I’m thinking, “wow”, and wondering if I should have a knife on me (no joke). The coach introduced us and left us to talk. I had no idea what to say, but the first time I looked into her eyes – through the awful, hazel colored contacts she was wearing – I thought to myself, “there is something special about this girl. I’m supposed to be talking to her right now”.
So I started asking her about herself, what her favorite subject was, and what she did for fun. I found out she was a straight A honors student (even though she tried to pretend she wasn't smart), and had a passion for music. When I asked why she was wearing all red, she squirmed and hesitated a second before saying it was just something a group of her friends were doing; that was the first time she hadn’t looked me in the eye. I let it go and asked why she had quit basketball. She said she had thought it was a good idea but now wished she hadn’t, and that it was too late because the team had already been practicing and were about to start playing games. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. I informed her that I had talked to the coach (I hadn’t yet but I knew she would agree) and if Tamika was willing to make up her missed practices, she could be on the team. I told her that for some reason I believed she needed to do this, and that even if she never went pro, basketball could help her. And then I promised if she played, I would come see a game. She said she would think about it, and that was it.I was on a high after that. I meet so many people in connection with my job, and I didn’t know what it was but somehow I just knew Tamika had to play. Two days later the coach called and told me she had decided to give it another try. And two weeks later, when Tamika had made up all of her missed workouts, I got another progress report assuring me she was enthusiastic and working hard to get better. I finally got to see her play a month later when I kept my promise to come to a game. I was wowed at her natural talent and the ease with which she played. I then knew why she had to play: this game could take her somewhere else.
After the game I offered to be her mentor, and she would eventually become like a little sister. A week later she called to tell me about a guy she had been hanging out with before she re-joined the team being shot, and who was now in the hospital fighting for his life. She told me very matter-of-factly, “that could have easily been me.”
I met Tamika when she was a sophomore in high school. As of now, she just finished her freshman year at a Division one university, which she attended on a full ride basketball scholarship.
To say that I am proud of her would be an understatement. To say that I believe God used my position as a professional athlete to help save this girls life would be the truth. We hear countless stories about the NBA players that used basketball as a ticket out of the dangerous neighborhoods and broken homes of their childhood. But what about the little girls left in those neighborhoods? Don’t they deserve a chance too?
This was not meant to be some sentimental plea to keep the WNBA alive or garner fan support. It was meant to show that even if countless men don’t value it, professional women’s sports do and should have a place in our society. This story is not a fluke or an isolated incident. Stuff like this happens regularly to myself and other WNBA players; and not just involving kids. I’ve had women tell me watching how hard I work in my workouts helped keep them coming to the gym and eating healthy. And I’ve had men tell me they use me as an example to encourage their daughters to dream. These compliments are such an honor to me; way better than being told I’m pretty, or even smart. But I would hate to turn around and tell those people that none of what they feel deserves validation because women’s basketball doesn’t make enough money. That’s why the WNBA is important.
Ok so today I was having a conversation on my Twitter with a sports blogger named Patrick. Looking at his blog, he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, but I couldn’t get past his negative comments on the WNBA. So I called him out on it. He is of the opinion, as are many other men that have so eloquently commented on my blog, that the WNBA is a terrible brand of basketball and a complete waste of energy for anyone involved – namely the NBA, who financially backs the league.
And while I will not sit here and argue that the WNBA is the smartest of business moves for the NBA where money is concerned, I do want to share with you why I believe it’s worth the effort.
A few years ago, while playing for San Antonio, I visited Austin for the day to speak at four different schools. After speaking at the first high school, the basketball coach pulled me aside and started telling me about this girl, Tamika (name has been changed), who had been an all conference freshman the year before, but had since quit basketball to do other things. Those other things included hanging out with known gang members, getting suspended from school, and as it was rumored, selling drugs (which I was later told had been true). She asked if I could talk to the girl one-on-one. I had to leave to make it to my next appearance so I told the coach if she brought her to the gym, I’d come back after school.
A few hours later, I was in the gym, waiting for Tamika to show up. I’d been waiting about five minutes when she walked in, wearing a huge red t-shirt, baggy red jean shorts, black tennis shoes with red laces, and swaggin it up like she was Jay-Z or something. In my head I’m thinking, “wow”, and wondering if I should have a knife on me (no joke). The coach introduced us and left us to talk. I had no idea what to say, but the first time I looked into her eyes – through the awful, hazel colored contacts she was wearing – I thought to myself, “there is something special about this girl. I’m supposed to be talking to her right now”.
So I started asking her about herself, what her favorite subject was, and what she did for fun. I found out she was a straight A honors student (even though she tried to pretend she wasn't smart), and had a passion for music. When I asked why she was wearing all red, she squirmed and hesitated a second before saying it was just something a group of her friends were doing; that was the first time she hadn’t looked me in the eye. I let it go and asked why she had quit basketball. She said she had thought it was a good idea but now wished she hadn’t, and that it was too late because the team had already been practicing and were about to start playing games. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. I informed her that I had talked to the coach (I hadn’t yet but I knew she would agree) and if Tamika was willing to make up her missed practices, she could be on the team. I told her that for some reason I believed she needed to do this, and that even if she never went pro, basketball could help her. And then I promised if she played, I would come see a game. She said she would think about it, and that was it.I was on a high after that. I meet so many people in connection with my job, and I didn’t know what it was but somehow I just knew Tamika had to play. Two days later the coach called and told me she had decided to give it another try. And two weeks later, when Tamika had made up all of her missed workouts, I got another progress report assuring me she was enthusiastic and working hard to get better. I finally got to see her play a month later when I kept my promise to come to a game. I was wowed at her natural talent and the ease with which she played. I then knew why she had to play: this game could take her somewhere else.
After the game I offered to be her mentor, and she would eventually become like a little sister. A week later she called to tell me about a guy she had been hanging out with before she re-joined the team being shot, and who was now in the hospital fighting for his life. She told me very matter-of-factly, “that could have easily been me.”
I met Tamika when she was a sophomore in high school. As of now, she just finished her freshman year at a Division one university, which she attended on a full ride basketball scholarship.
To say that I am proud of her would be an understatement. To say that I believe God used my position as a professional athlete to help save this girls life would be the truth. We hear countless stories about the NBA players that used basketball as a ticket out of the dangerous neighborhoods and broken homes of their childhood. But what about the little girls left in those neighborhoods? Don’t they deserve a chance too?
This was not meant to be some sentimental plea to keep the WNBA alive or garner fan support. It was meant to show that even if countless men don’t value it, professional women’s sports do and should have a place in our society. This story is not a fluke or an isolated incident. Stuff like this happens regularly to myself and other WNBA players; and not just involving kids. I’ve had women tell me watching how hard I work in my workouts helped keep them coming to the gym and eating healthy. And I’ve had men tell me they use me as an example to encourage their daughters to dream. These compliments are such an honor to me; way better than being told I’m pretty, or even smart. But I would hate to turn around and tell those people that none of what they feel deserves validation because women’s basketball doesn’t make enough money. That’s why the WNBA is important.
posted by Tony at
10:11 AM
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