In A Major Setback For Gender Equality, Francesca Belibi Won The Mcdonald's Dunk Contest
SI- Francesca Belibi became only the second woman to win the dunk contest at the McDonald’s All American Game.
Belibi, a Stanford commit, won the contest after receiving four perfect scores on all four of her dunks to win the POWERADE Jam Fest dunk title on Monday in Georgia.
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When I was younger, we’d have family basketball games where we’d let the littlest cousin take a wide-open layup. If he/she scored, we went nuts and pretended like the kid had beaten the adults; we’d lift him/her on our shoulders and cheer. It was great for the kid’s sense of confidence.
But once those cousins turned 10? No more bullshit pity baskets for you. Doesn’t matter if you’re a girl, guy, or a third party. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Where 6’3” Uncle Kevin will stuff that shit down your throat and scream “FUCK OUTTA HERE” because you’re afraid of contact. Call your own fouls (don’t you dare call a fucking foul).
Which brings us to Francesca Belibi: high school phenom headed for Stanford. And from the look of it, her parents probably didn’t have to pay the coach. She’s the real deal. Incredibly athletic, dunking in high school games at 6’1”, electric factory. Right?
Except… “DUNKING LIKE Zion Williamson” is simply unfair. It’s unfair to her and unfair to Zion.
The problem with making these comparisons is that they will inevitably elicit statements like “it’s a good dunk, for a girl.” Look, it’s an impressive dunk regardless. That dunk in that game was impressive. But was it like Zion? Not even close. In that same play, Zion would have broken the backboard and sired a child with the athletic director—who’s a man, by the way. Hitherto Zion, we haven’t seen all-male pregnancies. But he’s that special.
Same goes for this dunk contest. She was dunking after dudes throwing down 360 off-the-backboard insanity. Her dunks, by comparison, look meager, insipid, uninspired. Do you know where her dunks would look incredible? In a women’s dunk contest. With all the other contestants banking in finger rolls, her DUNKS would be THUNDEROUS. That caped-crusader shenanigan would bring the fucking house down.
But because Belibi’s turns were scheduled between the outrageous feats of athleticism from 6’8” male dunkers, they lose their noise. The whole scene becomes a pity party. Everyone played along: the guys cheered, people swarmed her, and the judges gave her perfect scores. It’s a version of the family basketball game I described earlier. And that’s a step backwards.
Francesca Belibi is awesome. We should celebrate her dunks. But not in a coed dunk contest.