Sports and Health – Brittney Griner unfolded herself from the passenger seat of a two-door Honda sedan driven by her Baylor teammate and fellow freshman Kimetria Hayden. Without a hitch in her conversation or her step, Griner disappeared behind the doors of the Ferrell Center and into the cocoon spun by her college basketball family.
Outside Baylor’s protective embrace it was bedlam, with a producer from “Inside Edition” among the members of the news media buzzing the university’s sports information office. Everyone was angling for an interview with Griner, the 6-foot-8 center who until this week was creating a minor sensation with her repertory of dunks and shot blocking.
Griner, 19, created a major commotion, one that will be difficult for her to deflect, during the second half of Baylor’s game Wednesday night when she punched Texas Tech forward Jordan Barncastle, who had been called for fouling her with a sharp elbow, breaking Barncastle’s nose and causing both benches to clear.
To the N.C.A.A.-mandated one-game suspension that Griner received, Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey tacked on an additional game, meaning Griner will miss the Lady Bears’ regular-season finale Sunday against Texas and their Big 12 conference tournament opener next week.
Griner will be back for the N.C.A.A. tournament, which 14th-ranked Baylor (22-7) is a cinch to make, her return most likely to be as big a story line as defending champion Connecticut’s unbroken chain of victories. It is an unwelcome spotlight for a sport that typically struggles for publicity, and some of the national commentary on Griner’s punch was like another slap in the face.
When Jalen Rose, a former N.B.A. star who works for ESPN, said, “I think there’s no place for this in sports, especially women’s basketball,” it was a stinging reminder that women’s sports are still viewed, by some, through a softer lens.
With her actions, Griner certainly took a swing at the notion that the women’s game lacks intensity. She and Barncastle reportedly exchanged words last month after Griner was triple-teamed in the first regular-season meeting of the teams. On the play that led to the punch, Barncastle’s arms became interlocked with Griner’s and Barncastle spun Griner backward while twisting free. While not playing down what happened, Beth Bass, the chief executive of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, framed Griner’s act as an isolated incident by a player whom teammates had described as a teddy bear. Read more »