Twin basketball players-turned-inflencers Hanna and Haley Cavinder have hit out at an article about them titled: “The NBA has a hot girl problem.”
Slamming The Free Press piece as sexist and lambasting journalist Ethan Strauss for his angle, the sports stars, who played for Fresno State and Miami Hurricanes, say they had been degraded to two “hot girls”.
The Cavinder Twins – as they are known across the many social media platforms they now inhabit – said they were told the article would be about NIL (name, image, likeness) deals in the sports industry and their life as influencers after moving away from basketball.
However, after the article was published, they say the piece was actually framed around their looks.
Indeed, the piece was posted on Twitter with the comment: “The Cavinder Twins, the emerging oligarchs of women’s college basketball, weren’t the best players. But they might be the best-looking. Read about the NCAA’s ‘hot girl’ problem, by Ethan Strauss”.
Hanna Cavinder said in a statement posted to Twitter that “the piece disregards our work ethic and dedication towards NIL and business endeavors”.
“He fails to acknowledge the young girls/woman that follow us and that we work so hard to inspire. Instead he degrades us down to “hot girl(s),” she said.
“We agreed to do this interview and wanted to support a woman ran news outlet. We are both disappointed and disgusted by this journalism practice and blatant sexist trope.
“We only wish to inspire young woman to chase their dreams, work hard, think big. Now we must also defend them against men that wish to sum their potential to physical appearance.”
The article looks at NILs and focuses on how blonde, white sports stars viewed by brands as attractive tend to fare better when it comes to NIL deals.
However, the sisters say that in the hour-long interview with Strauss they were only asked one question about their physical appearance and did not expect it to make up such a large portion of the article.
The way the article turned out “furthered the narrative that hard working, creative and driven women can only do well if they are deemed attractive,” they say.
The Independent has reached out to The Free Press for comment.
