It’s a difficult place we find ourselves in here. Last night, during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans, some dude named Sam Green was wearing a Pelicans' jersey in the crowd. As some people in crowds do sometimes, Sam wanted to be involved with the product he paid to consume. Sam was heckling Draymond Green.
And what did he say that riled up Green so much, you may ask? He chanted the name of Angel Reese, a reference the fan said was prompted by Green’s early performance.
Angel Reese deserved better than this
Now, right from the jump, we need to recognize that we are in a catastrophically stupid place. Green thought chanting the name of a national champion, two-time All-Star, two-time rebounding leader, one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA, and someone with a profoundly better reputation than Draymond, would be an insult.
This is strange to me. Angel Reese, at least in individual accomplishments, has exceeded high hopes for her so-far-two-year career in the WNBA. Sure, she hasn’t been named DPOY like Draymond, and she doesn’t have WNBA championships, but it’s a rare thing for that to happen so early. I’ll be honest, as far as career comparisons go, it’s kind of nonsensical, but it’s hardly like Sam picked someone unflattering. Angel Reese rules.
Draymond Green’s response says the quiet part out loud
Yet, Draymond Green did take offense. That’s kind of what he does. Remember when he punched a teammate in the face, and the person who got punched somehow suffered the brunt of the backlashes? Remember all those crotches he’s attacked?
According to the ESPN recap, “Sam Green said Draymond Green shouted profanity at him and threatened to punch him out if he continued the ‘Angel Reese’ taunts.” Does this seem strange to you, too? Dumb taunt makes dumb player angry.
It sure would be great if the story could stop here! It sure would be great if this was all just a silly reaction to people being silly! But it’s not. Here is what Draymond had to say on the matter:
""He just kept calling me a woman … It was a good joke at first, but you can't keep calling me a woman. I got four kids, one on the way. You can't keep calling me a woman""Draymond Green
So, to paraphrase Draymond Green:
"“I am upset because I was compared to someone who fits into the broad category of ‘women,’ who I consider worse than me.”"Draymond Green (paraphrased)
Sam Green invoked the name of a woman to taunt Draymond Green because he believed that Draymond Green would consider being compared to a woman a bad thing. Didn’t matter which woman. Just the fact she was a woman would be enough. It worked. Draymond very clearly, very matter-of-factly admitted it.
The gender politics nobody asked for
"You can’t keep calling me a woman.” At some point someone is going to have to explain to me why this is so viscerally upsetting to a certain standard of dudes. I know a lot of dudes! I know a lot of women! The dudes tend to suck a whole lot more! You’d think being able to put some distance between yourself and the unfortunate reputation of a lot of guys would be considered a good thing! An opportunity to invest in things like functional relationships and genuine connection!
But not so much. I have children. How DARE you imply femininity.
And we do have to take Sam into account. Until stated otherwise, it’s hard not to assume that he thought that invoking the name of a woman was insulting himself. I don’t see anything in ESPN’s article about Sam stating this to be some sort of real-time test about gender ideology or exposing toxic social norms in NBA player culture. In all likelihood, he’s just a d*ck too.
So ESH — everybody sucks here. Sam, Draymond, and anyone who buys into this weird idea that men should see being compared to a woman as an insult. All y’all. Right in the trash. If you’re in one of those categories, please leave the article now.
For everyone else, good job! You’re allowed to be proud of yourself for being a good person! I am proud of you!