Controversy at Basketball Mania after women players twerk
You be the judge
Dunks, dances and dull dialogues. Basketball Mania, for all those that do not know and will never attend, is an old-fashioned pep rally.
Performances ranging from skilled campus hip-hop dance troupes like CU Generation, Raw Elementz and Onyx are combined with the…somewhat amateur choreographed dance routines of the Men’s and Women’s Basketball team.
Mixed in with some brief coach speeches and overly excited emceeing the night was almost typical of a pep rally.
However, it was hard not to miss the fury many students expressed on social media about a particular section of the Women’s Basketball routine. Three teammates each stuffed two balls in the back of their shorts, and proceeded to twerk.
Many students were upset and offended, with some concerned about the team, composed of mostly white players, adopting the fetishized stereotype of a black female body for 20 seconds, without experiencing the hardship and victimization that black females deal with constantly.
A post that has been floating around on Facebook, with 12,000 views as of today, reads, “The fetishization, sexualisation and degradation of black women’s bodies is nothing new.”
It continues, “It is unsurprising that a team made up of mostly white players (inb4: I know there’s a black girl on the team, that doesn’t mean they’re not racist) would not find any problems with this performance of blackness.”
It is clear that such acts of cultural appropriation can be offensive and hurtful despite well-meaning intentions. Hindsight is always 20-20. You be the judge.
Find the entire performance here (fast-forward to 1:52). Use the entry code “theTAB” for full access to the site.
Regardless of what you think, be sure to check out other acts from Basketball Mania. The night included featured performances by CU Gen, Raw and Onyx. And I do think the Pipe it Up freestyle by Men’s Basketball may have been the performance of the night.
You voted to see these groups perform at Basketball Mania, and you can now vote and show your support for your favorite of the evening on big2.co, a social media site founded by our very own recent grads.
All footage can all be found under the topic Basketball Mania CU ’15. Once again, use entry code “theTAB” for full access.