So I decided to meander over to our counterparts on ouhoops.com, because they are the "we love baylor" side of the womens basketball conversation compared to here (I only speak the truth, not a knock on ouhoops or anything) and even they are questioning the validity of this untimely dropout of olympic consideration. I also checked it out because those guys know WAAAAY more about womens basketball than I ever care to find out and were able to provide more insight, such as:
1- If this is academic issues, it is pathetic, because she is a general studies major with emphasis on outdoor recreation. For any lurkers that try to say that "Some of OU's athletes are University Studies majors - I saw it during a game!" I'd like to add that this is because they are classified in the "University College" program until they declare a major and for sports broadcast purposes are designated "University Studies" till they declare a major. As per NCAA rules, all athletes, Sooners included, must declare a major by their junior year to stay academically eligible. As such, you will not see any of our athletes graduate in "University Studies." I dare say that no Sooner will graduate with a major in "general students with emphasis on outdoor recreation" either.
2- If this is family issues, I expect this to be a one-time excuse. If this is an excuse again in four years to get our of Rio's 2016 games, two years to get out of the World Championships, one year to get out of the WNBA, or an excuse in a few months to not play her senior year at Baylor, then don't expect anyone to continue buying it.
3- Even our Baylor loving counterparts are suggesting shenanigans at this point, so it's fair to bring up here, no matter how much she's been teased and bullied in her childhood.
Here's a link to what they're saying. And here's the Cliff's Notes's version:
- Baylor could get their wins, championships, etc. retroactively removed in a few years if there are shenanigans. Oh boy, come ON, shenanigans!!!
- Skeletor has always cherished her Olympic gold medal experience and would likely STRONGLY encourage one of her own players to go for the gold too... if there weren't shenanigans.
- Cold War East Germans!
Anyway, I'm not just sick of losing to Baylor at this point, I'm sick of what being suspicious of shenanigans when they really, really seem afoot at this point and this just adds fuel to the fire. If you think we're being cruel or unfair, just jump onto ESPN.com sometime and check out the comments sections (that they don't EVER moderate). Odds are, the comments section on any given story has been hijacked into a Griner discussion... and they are far more unkind than any of us ever will be here. It puts Lin "Chink in the Armor" headlines to shame for offensiveness. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about.
Oh, and in before the "I swear to gawd I'm gonna pistol whip the next one that says 'shenanigans'"