‘Listen to Black Women’ S6 Ep 4 Part 1: Changing The Game
Watch ‘Listen to Black Women’ S6, Ep. 4 Part 1: Ty Young, Janerika Owens & Dani Canada Talk Sports, Brand-Building Like Angel Reese & The Rise Of The WNBA - Page 2
This week on Listen to Black Women, we’re diving into the world of sports. Lore’l and Jessie Woo sit down with WNBA star Tamera “Ty” Young, sports journalist Janerika Owens, and media queen Dani Canada for a dynamic roundtable about love and basketball, brand-building like Angel Reese, and the rise of the WNBA.
For The Love Of Ty
Given Ty’s history with the Real Housewives franchise and reality television, the ladies can’t resist asking the basketball star about her dating life. It’s no secret that the former WNBA athlete and coach is “very popular amongst the girlies,” Jessie says. “We need a For the Love of Ty! Would you do a dating show?”
Ty laughs, “People have been asking me about doing a dating show and I’m like, I don’t know. I thought about it, but the place I’m in now, I don’t see that right now.”
When she’s working, though, Ty stays focused on the job at hand. “You always have to be professional,” she says. “The great thing for me, I like older women, so I don’t have no issues.”
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As a sports journalist reporting from inside the action, Janerika is no stranger to locker-room antics. Jessie wonders: does being a woman in sports affect her love life?
Janerika handles her job with grace, “Being a woman in a male-dominated field, you know, men are going to be men, so I just always try to stay polished and professional … I get asked that all the time because I’m always around guys. But it doesn’t really affect my dating life. I keep it very professional.”
Basketball Isn’t Forever
They discuss how the WNBA has evolved since the league’s inception in 1996. Lore’l remembers the WNBA’s early days, “I remember … going to the New York Liberty game, and I remember it being Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, and it was so empowering to me even though I didn’t play basketball.”
Over time, as the league evolved, it has established itself as a powerful platform in women’s sports. “I look at Angel Reese now getting her shine, and I know you look at it like, this has been a long time coming,” Lore’l tells Ty.
Ty agrees, pointing to Angel Reese as a prime example of a WNBA athlete who has built a standout brand alongside her basketball career. “Absolutely, the elevation of it. Even what Angel’s doing. She’s a great kid that gets a lot of scrutiny, but she’s breaking barriers. That’s the whole goal, paving the way for the next generation, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.”
Reese, the Chicago Sky forward who’s been a high-profile player since her college years, has received plenty of scrutiny in the public eye. Ty adds, “It’s unfortunate that people criticize her and be like, ‘Just play basketball.’ But no, you have to continue to build your brand. Basketball isn’t forever. And she herself is a business as well as the WNBA is a business. They’re going to do what’s best for them, and I tell her all the time, you have to do what’s best for you as well.”
Blackballed For Reality TV
Lore’l recalls a time when the league was not as prominent as it is today. Back then, she says, Ty was “part of the class of women that stepped out and held the flag for the WNBA” early on.
Ty reflects on how difficult it was to maintain her career in the league while pursuing other opportunities for herself, like reality television. She felt like she got “blackballed” for appearing on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. “I still had a lot left in the tank when I had to stop playing,” she says. “I didn’t get a contract after that.”
Lore’l names some pro athletes whose careers “went downhill” after reality TV. “Do you feel like it is something negative when it comes to athletes being on a reality show?”
“Definitely during that time,” Ty replies. But times have changed. Today, athletes can show up “authentically” as themselves, she says.
When players are able to build their personal brands, everybody wins. “Now, we’re bringing in more money,” Ty explains. “The revenue’s going up, because now you have a different audience. You can’t make money if people are not being visible. They see that and they know that. So now it’s being accepted to do things outside of basketball, whereas before it was frowned upon.”
Join the conversation from start to finish. Watch Listen to Black Women above.
Tap In Thursdays For New Episodes Of Listen To Black Women
Season 6 of Listen to Black Women is officially here. The iOne Digital original podcast centers Black women as they explore life, love, culture, and community through candid, thought-provoking conversations—featuring guests who speak their truths and leave no topic off-limits. Catch new episodes every Thursday on MadameNoire.com.
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