Isaiah Thomas, former University of Washington star basketball guard and the only final-pick in the history of the NBA draft to go on to win Rookie of the Month (twice!) and whose lovely father I’ve chatted with while cheering Isaiah on together at summer-league games here in Seattle, is in grave danger of losing me as a fan. I’m not sure exactly what this tweet means, but it’s certainly not a compliment to over half of the world’s population. I was not at all surprised by the little player’s big splash in the NBA – I was pretty sure he has what it takes – and I’ve been thrilled by all the media attention he’s received, but as a fan, now I have to wonder: What did I ever do to him to warrant this unsavory generalization about my gender? And what does it say about the climate of the sport I love that he feels comfortable making a sexist statement like this so publicly?
