@shanewright - Tumblr Blog

definitely something that complicates the role of WAGs is that the entire elite sports apparatus really does function on the unpaid labor of women… including but not limited to WAGs. at the youth level it’s the mother but at the elite level these men really rely on their female partners to do so much for them that allows their elite athletic lives to function. steven ortiz talks about this a lot in The Sports Marriage: that athletes choose wives that become their second mothers to do all of the things that mommy always took care of for them when they were boys. excerpts:

all this considered it makes sense why wags might consider themselves ‘women in motorsport’.

LET ME BE CLEAR I AM NOT SAYING THEY ARE.

but the way that this patriarchal sport functions and determines who is successful actually calls for the existence of wags, who see themselves as extensions of their partner’s career because being the partner of someone with that particular career is not just their entire identity, it’s also really the only way they spend their time. their partner’s career success relies on their existence—at least, that’s what they tell themselves.

krakenkrunch

EXCUSE ME SIR, I ABSOLUTELY FUCKIN LOVE YA!!

pwhl-mybeloved

st4rfvckerr

pwhl expansion starting at the same time as pride month is actually insane when you think about it

antspaul

like part of humanizing these women is understanding that WAGs have agency and are neither the hapless passive victims of self-serving famous male athletes nor empowered feminist women who have total control over their lives and images. when it comes to the athlete-wag relationship, i have one million more critiques of the athlete even confined to conduct within that relationship than of his partner who carries far less influence and power.

but still these women play active roles in creating and upkeeping their own positions as WAGs. they quit their jobs to influence full time. they open their platforms to the public. they go to extreme lengths to perform femininity and uphold dangerous beauty standards. they enter into dubious brand partnerships. they call photographers to take “candid” photos of them and their famous partners. they overlook public and private bad behavior from their partners and stay with them for public reasons, implicitly (and knowingly) endorsing their partner’s behavior.

to be a WAG is to construct an identity of being Secondary, what Steven Ortiz calls “a ‘wife of’ identity”. they put it on themselves and go to great lengths to upkeep it. to humanize these women is to acknowledge their ability to cause harm, to society and to themselves.

"who is that?"

"who is that?"

I could never wear any of those dumb “I hope both teams have fun” shirts because no I hope my team wins by 30 and the other team explodes on the field