How do you feel about Candace Parker's C-cup being referenced in this lede?

The level of athletic accomplishment certainly isn't the primary element in building a female athlete's brand and trying to make her a mainstream star, as Sharapova, Patrick, Gulbis, etc., have shown.

 

True, so if a woman's C cups speak for themselves (as they no doubt do), then shouldn't we simply let them?

 

Not very. This lede is a go, as it is, because it's in the ESPN magazine.

Anywhere else, that information might have been mentioned farther down, deeper into the story, with more context, etc. As it is here, the writing is used strictly as an eye-catcher.

Which, I guess, is the idea, and isn't necessarily a bad thing. And it does work as a nod to, and for emphasis on, Parker's status as a women's sports figure -- which I think is always part of the point of these stories about her. In that respect, the reference to her cup size, I'm sure, is intentional, and considered part of the context, not gratuitous.

But frankly, this angle, and such marketing, is starting to get old, considering that Parker has only played one season in the WNBA. I mean, really. A saint in high-tops? Do we really know her well enough to say that? How?

It's like Frank said, albeit in reference to the C cups. She demonstrates all this stuff in what ways?

 

Exactly.

Though I will say, in street clothes Candace does flaunt them a bit -- but no more than the average hot young woman.

 

I would have chopped out the C cup references. We get that she's a beauty. We get that she's a sweetheart off the court.

Talking about size her bra is reduces a great women's basketball player to nothing but a sex object. It's ridiculous.

 

I thought the lede was bad, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. We get the point - you're a great writer and we should all look at your writing she's a great person.

 

You may want to substitute Kournikova for Sharapova, because Maria can play. She has three Grand Slam titles to her credit and has been ranked No. 1 in the world on a few different occasions.

 

How did her cup size even come up? Did the writer ask or did Parker just volunteer it?
Either way, that's weird.
I covered women at in a BCS conference for years. I'd have never even considered ask about their physical attributes like that -- and they certainly didn't bring it up.

 

And by the way: Isn't it time we had an industry-wide moratorium on 'the next Michael Jordan!' references? Trite and cliche and twenty years too late.

 

Glock thought the James Brown song playing on Parker's iPod was, "Say It Loud -- I'm Stacked And I'm Proud."

 

I have actually twice heard her referred to as being "like Kobe Bryant."

 

I'm perplexed by this whole thing. It didn't offend me, it's not out of the ordinary for me, and I thought it worked.

Maybe it's a generational thing for the women. Or the fact I'm as far from a feminist as one can be.