Cameron Brink ‘icked out’ by comments to Sparks’ male practice player tryout ad: ‘Preferably they’re gay’
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Sparks forward Cameron Brink says she is “really icked out by the potential new practice players” the team might have in the gym after it advertised for male practice players on social media last week.
It is not unusual for WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball teams to practice against male players, and Brink didn’t sound at all opposed to the custom when she spoke about it on Monday’s episode of her “Straight to Cam” podcast.
What the second-year player was unhappy with was the type of people an open call for tryouts might attract, considering the tone of some of the responses she had seen to the Sparks’ online ad.
“All the comments are just completely out of pocket,” Brink said.
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According to the player chosen by the Sparks at No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft, “usually we use USC college guys that also do it for the women’s team at USC” during practice.
On March 9, however, the Sparks posted a flyer on social media advertising tryouts for male practice players April 12 at El Camino College.
“Do you have what it takes?” read the caption on the X post that also featured images of Brink and teammates Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson.
The ad also was posted by other basketball-related accounts. The responses Brink said she saw were nothing short of creepy and made her question the type of people that might eventually end up practicing against the team.
“All the comments are like, ‘Let Cameron Brink back me down,’ or something about Rickea or something about Kelsey,” Brink said. “And now I’m just like, ‘First of all, we need to heavily vet these men. Preferably they’re gay. ... Who are we trusting coming into this gym?’”
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She added: “Lynne [Roberts], our new coach, is gonna be screaming at me for not rebounding. I’m like, ‘I’m not boxing out anyone.’”
Brink’s comments were stated in a fairly lighthearted manner and received some laughs from her co-hosts, but she did seem to be expressing legitimate concerns.
“The Los Angeles Sparks are committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all our players and want to emphasize that player safety remains our top priority,” the team spokesperson said in a statement.
“To clarify, as always for our practice squad tryouts, no Sparks players will participate or be in attendance. The use of male practice players is a well-established practice in both the WNBA and women’s college basketball, and the Sparks have utilized this approach since the league’s inception in 1997.
“Additionally, any players selected for the practice squad will undergo a thorough background check process to ensure the safety and well-being of our athletes.”
The link the team posted for practice player tryout registration now leads to a page that reads: “Sorry, this form is not open to new submissions. Thank you for your interest in our Practice Player Tryouts at the Los Angeles Sparks. Due to the overwhelming number of applicants we have received, we will not be processing any more applications. We appreciate your time and interest with our organization.”
