Cappie Pondexter chats Chicago, culture, sports and representation

“This game is for the future. For the culture. For the changemakers.” - WNBA

In a recent episode of UNINTERRUPTED’s Who’s Interviewing Who?, recently-retired WNBA star Cappie Pondexter spoke with fellow Chicago natives Hebru Brantley and Don C about the power of representation in pop culture, politics and, of course, sports.

As the 2019 WNBA season fast approaches, their conversation serves as a reminder of the often-untapped representational influence of women athletes, especially women athletes of color.

Fortunately, a new deal with CBS Sports, in addition to 20 live-streamed games on Twitter, should allow more young people the opportunity to see themselves in the women who suit up for the Chicago Sky and other WNBA squads. Diamond DeShields, Cheyenne Parker and Gabby Williams, like Pondexter, The Chi creator Lena Waithe and Chicago mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot, can help make imaginable the possibilities for young women of color in a city often beset by negative stereotypes.

Such impact, however incremental, also underscores the importance of betting on the women of the WNBA.