A Different Type of Reveal Party: Welcome Vakeryies!

We live in confusing times, while many seek to blur the lines of gender, a popular gathering exists because of it: the gender reveal party. I have never attended one, but I have seen the extent that many people—especially celebrities and athletes—take to make their baby's event stand out among the rest. In spite of the fact that more than one of these gatherings have led to drama and trauma, they are not going away. One must consider why. Why are they popular? People love to gather, celebrate and share news. It's human to want answers and exciting to gain revelations. And such is the spirit that characterized a different type of reveal party—an identity party—as shared on Good Morning America. Please meet the Valkyries!

In this instance however, no gender to the reveal was needed. The Valkyries are the 13th team in the WNBA and with them women's basketball is coming to the Bay Area. Formed in partnership with the NBA's Golden State Warriors, fans wanted to know what would be the name of this team. Turns out, the SF Chronicle ran a poll and this title took 25% of the vote. It's fitting. Why? Valkyries are in fact female warriors. 

Those who love mythology, might already know that a Valkyrie is "the angelic figures who guides slain heroes to the afterlife in Valhalla – paradise in Norse legends – which were first written about in the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda manuscripts in the Middle Ages. In those myths, valkyries work as a collective for the one-eyed god Odin, and are ready to fight as warriors in the apocalypse known as Ragnarok."

I appreciate the context offered by team president Jess Smith. She said, “It’s a beautiful nod to the Golden State Warriors, but also is uniquely our own. What’s so incredibly powerful about it is first and foremost is what a valkyrie is. A valkyrie doesn’t act alone, it’s a group moving things forward. As we think through what we’re building here at Golden State, it’s on the court and off the court. To make the impossible, possible like the Bay Area does.”

Others wondered if they would share the franchise blue and gold of the Dubs. Instead the Vakeryies opted for "Valkyrie violet" and black. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the inspiration came from another woman dominating media locally and beyond. Taylor Swift's megahit "Lavendar Haze" is a reference to a term a 1950s-dated common phrase for the state of being in love, inspired by the series Mad Men. Fitting. Why? How? Right now, seems that the media is in love with women's hoops. 

Both "warriors" will play at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Valkyries will practice in Oakland, where the Warriors practiced until 2019. The spirit of the Bay is alive.

I love that the reveal was done on the first day of the 2024 WNBA season! Yes, it's smart marketing AND it's one more example that women's sport is finding its way into the spotlight it deserves. 

A key component of Sports and Spirituality is requiring my seniors to build from what they learned their junior year Religious Studies' course: Foundations of Ethics: Morality and Justice. Through a presentation entitled Sports in the News, they raise ethical questions, complete research and take a stand on an issue that intersects sports and society. We came to the realization that the future will most likely examine ever further the role, impact and growth of women in sport. Topics might include:

• Rise of Women’s Sports
• The Caitlin Clark Effect?
• N.I.L and Women’s Sports/Athletics
• Transgender Athletes and Women’s Sports
• Female Coaches: Will the NBA be the first to appoint a woman as their head coach? 
• Prediction: Dawn Staley, Sixers.
• Will we see women on the playing field in
the NFL, MLB, NBA in the future (we have
already seen this in the PGA)?

While we did not have an identity reveal party in class for the Valkyries, I do think we celebrated the success of women's sports throughout the year. Rather than working from a defensive stance or place of apology, we found ourselves standing tall. I think their public announcement has it right. 

Valkyries are a defiant symbol of the power of women. Fighting for community and connection, Valkyries represent the Bay Area spirit of unmatched progress and innovation. A combination of strength and grace, the Golden State Valkyries are writing the next chapter in the epic tale of the WNBA, a league that has transcended limitations and norms over the last 27 years. Larger than life and here to play ball, the Valkyries will reshape our world, and this league, as we know it.

Cue up Taylor....