If you’re a fan of the men’s Texas A&M basketball team, you probably aren’t having the greatest time as of late. The men’s team got off to a red-hot 15-2 start before hitting one of the roughest rough patches in SEC basketball history.
The good news is that the women’s basketball team is much better. Well, that’s not necessarily true — at 13-9 on the season, they’re having a comparable season to their counterparts. Hey, at least they haven’t lost seven straight games (it’s the little things).
Unfortunately, however, you will not be reading about the Texas A&M women’s basketball team for their on-court performances. Instead, the biggest headlines surrounding either team would be in regards to a particular coach’s gameday outfit.
Why are people upset over Texas A&M women’s basketball player development coach Sydney Carter’s gameday outfit?
On Monday, Sydney Carter, a former Texas A&M women’s basketball player and current Player Development/Assistant Recruiting Coordinator for the team, posted four images on Twitter showcasing her on the sideline with the team. Here’s that post.
Game 22 pic.twitter.com/ZQ9CwMWOmQ
— Sydney Carter (@Sydney_Rene) February 7, 2022
Nothing weird, right? The tweet has now amassed over 75,000 likes, while some individuals took offense to this.
Why, you ask? I do not know.
This isn’t anything abnormal for Carter, who posts images after each game with the team with a caption stating which game she coached. For example, this one says “Game 22,” the next will say “Game 23,” and the first said “Game 1.”
You can use a handful of words to describe her outfits — eccentric, fashionable, or stylish would all be acceptable. Some, however, think that her outfits are inappropriate to be wearing as you coach a basketball game. Here are a couple of examples.
https://twitter.com/PiEzEyTheOne/status/1491097824880369664?s=20&t=n1RwQlOX3_3GacIz7QRV9g
https://twitter.com/Stayconsistent4/status/1491391290323660802?s=20&t=n1RwQlOX3_3GacIz7QRV9g
These people are being “ratio’d,” as they would say on Twitter, meaning that more people disagree with them than those who actually liked the negative tweets. And when you think about it, the entire controversy surrounding this is objectively hilarious.
I mean, people are saying that her pants are “too tight” to coach in. Make it make sense.
It just feels extremely sexist. I cannot think of a single example in the history of men’s basketball where a coach fell under scrutiny for wearing a particular outfit. You wouldn’t think twice if you saw someone wearing that on the street. In fact, you’d probably think she’s a very well-dressed person — so what’s the issue?
According to some, women are not allowed to have any sense of style while coaching a basketball game. Thankfully, those who are criticizing her gameday outfits are part of a very small minority and are largely being rightfully attacked on the internet.
Sydney Carter — keep doing your thing.