Becoming only the second woman to do so, would-be lottery pick of the Baylor Bears, Brittney Griner, dunked in during the women’s NCAA Tournament. The unexpected slam–Griner is only the seventh player to dunk in a women’s college basketball game–came against the Bears’ rout of the Florida Gators, helping propel Baylor that much closer to their goals of NCAA National Championship glory.
Griner’s presence is one of the main reasons Baylor is such a heavy favorite. To date, the Bears are undefeated on the season, amassing a perfect 36-0 record. The dunk, perhaps due to it being such a rare occurrence, is the “Highlight of the Night” for ESPN:
For some reason, Griner’s dunk has also caught the attention of Internet “haters,” a collective of individuals who try to take the fun and enjoyment out of, well, everything. There’s no topic Internet haters won’t address, and you can usually identify them by the smell of disappointment emanating, courtesy of their lack of life accomplishments. Because of that, everything else sucks as much as their menial existence does.
The most popular comments at YouTube, as well as the various tweets made about Griner’s gender, indicate as much:
She’s 6’8, with an 86 inch wingspan, and wears an 18 inch shoe..
She dunked?
I don’t give a fuck.
Hey, at least they found an account name that matches their behavior. It also sounds like a heaping helping of hate from someone who may not be able to dunk themselves and are therefore jealous of Griner’s genetic jackpot-winning ways.
The hate was evident on Twitter as well, as Griner’s gender was the topic of much discussion:
When are Kentucky and Baylor gonna stop playing and reveal that Brittney Griner and Anthony Davis are the same person?
At first, I thought the Heat signed Baylor’s Brittney Griner to their roster. Then I realized it was Chris Bosh. #realtalk #SamePlayer
Congratulations to Britney Griner for being the first man to dunk in a NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament.
Britney Griner is really brian grant
However, not everyone was out to make fun of Griner. Some defended her dunk by slamming those who made fun of her. Others simply recognized the skill and ability:
Dear Twitter: Thanks for reminding me that athletically gifted females like Britney Griner can still be marginalized by calling them men.
All these dudes hating on Britney Griner just mad cuz they can’t touch the net. #girlgotgame
Britney Griner shoulda went straight to the WNBA… she really just drop step dunked in a game… wow
So what about you? Is Griner’s dunk something to memorialize the way SportsCenter is doing so–they apparently need something else to talk about besides Peyton Manning–or are the haters doing the right thing and reeling this topic in before it gets out of hand? Personally, I was impressed. I mean, the second woman to dunk in a tournament game? Ever? That alone deserves the attention Griner is getting.
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