Rough Notes: Queer Theories of WNBA Fandom Featuring a Guest Dispatch by Yezmin Villarreal!

new rough notes post, full of queer theories about wnba fandom <3 featuring a guest dispatch by yezmin villarreal, a real queer phoenix hooper!

damn i forgot about datalounge!!!

thank u for reading!!

Realized this article I just wrote is basically a gateway drug for queers who want (need?) to get more into WNBA fandom <3

s/o to @tcraggs22.bsky.social for being the best editor & allowing me to re-alive my 2012 undergrad thesis in this form

OKAY so quick and unexpected update on goals here.

Apparently one of my skeets from last night made it into the most recent @roughnotes.bsky.social about the Valkyries fumbling Flau’jae and bumbling through the draft? wnbaroughnotes.substack.com/p/rough-note...

One step closer to best friendship.

STOP I MISSED THE OG TWEET AAAAAAH

Cathy Engelbwrr didn’t realize how important housing was to W players because her two adult kids pay for their own housing.
I don’t know about her son, but her daughter is a corporate attorney at a huge law firm and presumably neither of them have to move to multiple cities during a single year.

YESSSS to this on the flau'jae trade shenanigans, from @aghaubner.bsky.social

this

Rough Notes: Why Trading Flau’jae Johnson Was A Toxic Mistake Valkyries fans in Oakland saw the vision. Then it shattered.

Tried to express the pain of seeing Flau'jae Johnson drafted to the Bay Area, imagining what that would mean for OAKLAND & then witnessing that thrown out the window:

Golden State’s first WNBA franchise is known for masterfully curating a Bay Area vibe with E-40 bangers and intro videos narrated by Oakland’s own Kehlani (what pairing Flau’jae with those icons could have meant!) At the same time, sometimes the franchise feels distinctly San Franciscan in the most gentrified sense: born from the WNBA’s rejection of Oakland first, requiring Oaklanders to take a most pricey trek to Chase Center. But there’s also something else: the Valkyries’ habit of investing in “poorly-pigmented Euro players” (as one of my family members recently described). Last night, Golden State briefly broke this trend by seemingly championing Flau’jae Johnson, a dark-skinned star of both women’s basketball and Black American culture.

Really enjoyed @roughnotes.bsky.social on the terrible optics of the Valkyries trading Flau’Jae immediately after drafting her, even if the move was predetermined & not about a particular player. open.substack.com/pub/wnbaroug...

free from tcu

the flau'jae johnson trade is proof golden state shoulda never moved out of oakland cuz this is some real san francisco shit

azzi fudd in brown sparkly patterned dress holding basketball

i'm still not over this 2nd look from azzi 😍

remember when we thought this was the most upsetting thing

devastating

WHAT IS IT ALL FOUR

REMEMBER WHEN WE THOUGHT BERNIE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE PRESIDENT WELL TRADING BIG FOUR OUT THE BAY FEELS WORSE

This is the real question!

CAN MARTA HOST A SOLD OUT CONCERT WITH E40 IN OAKLAND NO I DIDNT THINK SO

AI WILL HAVE DESTROYED US BY THEN

TRADE BIG FOUR DONT TALK TO ME EVER AGAIN

omg lol

hell yeah thanks for sharing

Really good stuff here

Rough Notes: Holding Chicago Sky Ownership Accountable with Andrew Haubner A candid dive into the franchise's present + past.

yall know i had to keep going about the chicago sky this week:

Rough Notes: Holding Chicago Sky Ownership Accountable with Andrew Haubner A candid dive into the franchise's present + past.

"I think Jeff Pagglioca has a belief that he’s unimpeachable because he helped bring the championship to Chicago. I don’t think that’s necessarily a unique story in business or sports... The Chicago Sky story right now, more than anything else, is one of stubbornness." - @aghaubner.bsky.social

Angel Reese Trade Marks Frustrating End To A Wasted Chicago Sky Golden Era YouTube video by No Cap Space WBB

The Chicago Sky trading Angel Reese marks the end of an era that has been filled with confusion and frustration towards front office moves.

@tylerdeluca.bsky.social calls the iso to look back on how the Sky missed on a potential golden generation: youtu.be/_x_JGLmrO98

Rough Notes: The Legend of Chi-Town Barbie On the most epic fumbling of the WNBA's 'hype era.'

ok phew had to stop everything else and write this

i am still processing but

how it started vs. how its going