Grinder in the Media

Brittney Griner is the first ever men or women's basketball player to score over 3,000 points and block over 700 shots and after being the #1 draft pick in the WNBA draft, and signing a major contract with Nike, she has decided to officially announce that she is a lesbian. She recently revealed that during her college career at Baylor she was told to keep her sexuality quiet. But now that she has gone pro she has made it her mission to help people live as individuals and in truth. She is now dedicated to the "It Gets Better Project" which helps lesbian and gay kids survive harassment and bullying.

Griner after winning NCAA Title

Griner wants to be a "be a light who inspires others" and even told kids to tweet her and send her a DM because she would help them find help if they are being bullied. With close to 40,000 followers on Twitter Britney Griner has already built a brand of her own. I love the way that she is using her platform to show others that it is okay to be different. She is breaking down barriers and proving that there is so much more to life than just being a great basketball player. She is using social media to make herself accessible to the public. There use to be a time when athletes did not have a way to reach the public unless they were doing an interview. This leaves room for misinterpretations and third party applications. But through platforms like twitter and the blogosphere athletes can endlessly express themselves first hand. This may not always be the best thing for athletes or people in the spotlight but it is definitely better than always having your life open to a third party interpretation. And now that Griner has come out to the public...I think it is time that we stop using her sexuality as a major topic of discussion and let the girl play ball because she has more records to crush and championships to win!