Bird changed mind following senator's response Associated Press SEATTLE -- WNBA standout Sue Bird says she never meant to offend anyone by agreeing to accept a wager that, if she lost, would have required her to be spanked during a radio show. The Seattle Storm's star point guard said Tuesday she never considered the potential ramifications of the bet, first reported Sunday in a column by Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times. "I feel privileged that I can be a role model for young kids,'' Bird said. "Reading the article that was written opened my eyes and made me step back to realize what the bet might represent.'' Bird canceled the wager Monday after criticism by a state lawmaker who teaches women's studies at the University of Washington. Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles said Bird's involvement "helps feed into the images of violence against women and stereotyping.'' "When I read the senator's comments, it made me rethink things,'' Bird said. "That's not the message I want to send at all.'' The wager, made earlier this summer, hinged on whether Bird's assist-to-turnover ratio would be higher than 2-1 at the end of the season, she said. If Bird won the bet, KJR-AM program host Mitch Levy would have bought season tickets to Storm games next year. Had she lost, Bird would have had to cry, "Harder, Daddy, harder'' during the spanking. "I'm embarrassed,'' Bird said. In an e-mail interview, Levy said he would be "very disappointed if Sue allowed outside influences to push her away from the fun wager all together. There has got to be an idea that both would be comfortable to her, and might benefit a Seattle local charity.'' Bird said her relationship with Levy on his radio program always has been playful, and she considered the wager a good-natured way to attract Levy and his listeners to Storm games. "She did it in good fun,'' Storm coach Anne Donovan said. "Anybody who knows the history of her banter with that radio station understands what happened.'' Bird never expected to lose the bet, either. With 137 assists and 63 turnovers in 20 games, she was on pace to win it. "It was always, 'Oh, I'm going to get him to buy courtside seats,''' she said. Levy, however, insisted the bet involved a 3-1 ratio and "she was way behind.'' He said he's attended "multiple Storm games,'' enjoyed them and "raved publicly about the product on the following morning's radio show.'' Bird is one of the biggest stars in women's basketball. After a celebrated college career where she led Connecticut to NCAA titles in 2000 and 2002, she was selected by Seattle with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft. Bird said she considers the wager closed, along with the subsequent uproar. Donovan said the bet hasn't been a distraction for the team, which is contending for a Western Conference playoff berth. "Silly, silly,'' said Lauren Jackson, Seattle's other All-Star. "It's been blown way out of proportion.'' Levy took aim at Kohl-Welles for her criticism. "For her to equate a good-natured, consensual radio segment that happened to involve a spanking element to 'images of violence against women,' is not only reprehensible and political grandstanding, but frankly it is outright offensive to any victim of this horrible crime,'' he said. On Tuesday, the Storm activated forward Alisa Burras and placed center-forward Danielle McCulley on the injured list with right shoulder tendinitis. Burras was on the injured list for five games with a right knee injury. She is averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15 games this season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'd spank Sue Bird. I think the WNBA is missing out on an interesting new marketing strategy. . . J/K of course I'm honestly surprised that she would accept such a bet. I mean, there ware women who do this kind of stuff all the time, but they're usually the non celeb people who show up on Howard Stern.
I'd heard something about a bet but didn't know what it was about. Thanks for posting. Seems pretty harmless but for a league so conscious about being good role models for kids perhaps the humor was a little too "adult". Violence towards women though? Geez... talk about over the top.
If the bet was made like that..I'd be willing to bet that the radio show isnt one that kids listen to. Kinda like the old Stevens and Prueitt Show on KLOL. If the senator would have kept her mouth shut about it, no kids would have ever known. No harm, no foul.. and for the record, I'd spank Sue Bird too!
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles said Bird's involvement "helps feed into the images of violence against women and stereotyping.'' It may help combat the stereotype of the WNBA as a purely lesbian league though.
Among the many things about this that I don't get is this: What is the connection between spanking and sexiness? I know the Freudian supposition, but to those of you who make that connection on a more conscious and personal level, can you explain it to a complete non-devotee? And Sue Bird is hardly hot...I think it's just a relative thing, because the WNBA seems to exclude physically attractive women from playing, IMO. That's what makes Anna K so remarkable, she's not just hot relative to other players, she's just plain hot. Bird is not.
Um, I would but then everyone would think I was weird and I'd become the victim of neverending fetish jokes around here. The condom ones are bad enough. Not relative; a matter of personal taste. Ex: I don't find Kournikova all that attractive, but I do Bird. Mr. Mooch, where's YoYao?
