JL
Judy Liao
University of Alberta, Augustana Faculty
The Length They Will Go: WNBA’s Jersey Politics
The Length They Will Go: WNBA’s Jersey Politics \
In ESPN’s 2013 documentary, “Branded,” US basketball Hall of Famer, Ann Meyers Drysdale, stated that the WNBA should consider changing its uniform to add sex appeals in order to grow fan bases. “Feminized” uniforms in the name of visibility is not new. Women’s beach volleyball and volleyball uniforms have been critiqued extensively. In 2011, FIBA implemented regulations about uniforms in EuroLeague Women: “the shorts have to be at least 10 cm above the knee and there can be only 2 cm between the shorts and the skin” (Scott, 2012, April 4). This trend of a more revealing uniform slipped into the WNBA. Nevertheless, this idea of a more fitting uniform was publicly rejected by superstars, like Brittney Griner, and in the end, did not materialize. In 2018, the WNBA again used its uniform design as a point of promotion; however, this time the uniform serves as a statement for progressive politics, to include “people’s” voices. Nike, the official jersey sponsor, gathered players’ feedback about jerseys and incorporated them into their new uniform design. In this presentation, I will explore this shifting notion of appropriate female athletic attires to understand completing narrative of acceptable female athleticism and legitimate sport feminism.