Female athletes have a rough road to hoe (oops that’s a no-no). The reality is that athletic women have often been looked upon as “odd” or to put it bluntly, as lesbians or dykes.
Women in team sports fare worse than their counterparts in individual sports.
Tennis players, golfers, swimmers, soccer players, and volleyball players are often quite feminine looking and pass the pin-up girl smell test.
But women in a team sport such as basketball seem to get labeled not only as odd but as unattractive and masculine.
The WNBA has struggled for years to become a financially viable industry. But although the players are better, smarter, and can put on a basketball clinic, sports fans are still not quite ready to embrace them and put up their hard earned dollars to attend games.
Male athletes on the other hand can be butt ugly and still get paid plenty and get laid in the process.
So, what are the marketing geniuses doing to market its WNBA players? Sexing them up of course.
The WNBA is offering rookie lessons in fashion and makeup.
Rookies spent part of their orientation weekend learning how to apply makeup and get that oh so feminine look. How to get a perfect arc on that brow and keeping the mascara from running was as important a lesson as learning how to execute a pick and roll.
The league hired a cosmetics artist to teach the rookies how to apply perfect brush strokes and get that oh so pretty look whether they are on the court sweating bullets or off the court doing interviews or simply having a bite to eat.
The courses included fashion tips for these women who have to shop at Big and Tall, not an easy day of shopping I’m sure. The courses also included financial advice, media training, fitness, and nutrition seminars. That part is smart and prudent.
