The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
LOCKED IN Ft. Zia Cooke | The Comment Section Ep. 133
28 Aug 2024
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the highlights of Zia Cooke's journey in women's basketball?
i think it's really fun when you see celebrities that you never would have thought are like really into the wnba yeah and michael b jordan too really he was supposed to come to a game but he has not come yet so he's trying to get wife see this hurry he's trying to get wiped up he hasn't like came yet i don't know what's taking him so long what are you so afraid of michael b jordan come on
Hey everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show, starring me, your fave, everybody knows me, who cares about me? On to the guests. Today we have the iconic, the legendary, the athletic, Ziya Cook! Woo! Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming to the show. My second female athlete, second athlete overall on the show, but only women.
Only female athletes, that's who I have.
That's super dope.
Period. Very exciting. Thank you for coming. Of course. Honored to have you. And I have a very, very, very, I would say, passionate drive to platform female athletes and make them more famous than male athletes. Yes. I'm glad you could join me on this journey. Of course. But I'd like to know a little bit more about your journey before, obviously now you're on the Sparks, correct?
But you went to South Carolina. Gamecock. Yes. I've only done one college, like anything, like... talk or whatever and it was at usc really yeah okay i went to south carolina you got a tiny little school yeah that's yep and someone brought me a shirt that says go gamecocks yeah yeah i wore it of course okay
You have to.
Yeah. So I'd love to know how you started playing basketball, how you got into it and like journey up to college. Yes.
So I've been playing basketball since I was six years old and I really got into it from my brother Stratman. He played every sport you can think of. And my dad had him waking up early mornings, going to run the park, doing pushups. All that type of stuff. And I would just watch him, and I'm like, I want to try it.
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Chapter 2: How does Zia Cooke feel about the rise of women's basketball?
Yeah. Let's focus up.
Yeah, so I locked in, and from the seventh grade on, I took basketball 100% serious. I gave my all to it, and I received about 55 college offers around there. Wow. Had to get it down to a top five, and South Carolina was in my top five and got it to a top three and then made my decision.
Did you do, like, the commitment day where you, like, put on the hat? Yeah, I did. Oh, period. I love those videos. I never did one of those, but I love those videos when they're like,
it's a big surprise to everyone yeah was your are you from where are you from i'm from toledo ohio originally oh okay so was your family sad that you were leaving going away or they were excited to come watch you play well they tricked me first of all because i'm a i'm a daddy's girl and a mommy's girl so i wanted my family close to your family i am very close like my decision didn't matter to me because i thought that they were going to come wherever i decided to go
Oh, really?
And they tricked me. They just did that so that I would actually go where I wanted to go.
Where you wanted to go.
Instead of like actually. Locally. Yeah. So. Oh, that's really sweet. They didn't move with me. So I was probably more sad than they were because they planted all along.
They were telling you, yeah, we'll move. Yeah. Yeah. We'll go wherever you go. The whole time never came. That's honestly really smart to like just lie to you and tell you, I'll meet you there. Yeah. I'm looking at houses now. Never did. Crazy.
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Chapter 3: What challenges do female athletes face regarding public perception?
Yeah, that's true.
My first year, I think the first year NIL started was my junior year. So I got two years at understanding the business of things and being able to make money and understanding that my brand is super important. So I got a very good head start with NIL. And that's what kind of helped me when I got to the W was just like the same for me, really. Just understanding that I have to be a businesswoman.
understanding my finances and how to take care of my money, understanding what to say yes to, what to say no to. So I was happy that I was able to experience NIL before I got to the W. Oh, that's such a good point.
And it gave you a lot of, first of all, it gives you what you're due, which is like money for your compensation for your time and being an athlete. But then also, yeah, that's so true. It gives you a lot more perspective on when you transition into a full-time athlete and not just a student athlete. How has the attention on women's basketball been?
Obviously, you've been playing basketball your whole life, so you've known how fucking awesome women's basketball is. But now it's really brought in this new wave of fans this past year. So what's that been like? You've been playing it for so long, so it's probably, I'm sure, strange to see other people kind of just discover it.
It's super dope to see, I think. Yeah. And I'll say like I was it's it's kind of weird because I feel like I kind of grew up in the era where social media was just becoming a thing. Like you start having overtime.
Yeah.
All his life. She hoops like it was just all these different type of platforms that players were starting to get recognized on.
And that was like highlighting them.
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Chapter 4: How has social media impacted women's basketball visibility?
i'm curious i was curious on on social media because now because women's basketball is so forefront in a lot of ways um obviously that gives a lot of men license to be like well it's still not as interesting as like i've fought men on tiktok many times who talk about female athletes and recently i made one about wnba players because they say the most head-ass shit like the shit they say which is like
Well, I mean, if I was in high school, I could beat a WNBA team. And I'm like, okay, but you're 30. You sell insurance, so I doubt it. Right. So I don't believe you, I guess. But I'm curious if you have to deal with that, especially getting featured on all of those different platforms. Like WSLAM follows me, and they feature a lot of women's basketball players.
Or even when Bleacher Report posts basketball players, if they ever post female athletes, there's always men in there.
always fucking mouth one thing about me is i'm i'm good at just ignoring people like i do really well like that i don't really i i'm understanding that trolling is a thing now like that's what people like get happy about and that's who they are so it's just like when they get to keep myself sane i just read it laugh at it and move on yeah because that's all you can do yeah well and i also think too whenever men say shit like that like they're like well if i
you know i could beat the best basketball like there was one guy that got really mad at me when i made a video defending wnba players and when he started the video he was like well first off i'm 5'4 stop right there stop right there sir i don't take you seriously you can't yeah i don't I don't take you seriously.
I immediately stopped listening as soon as he said that because his whole thing was he beats people at the gym all the time so he could easily.
So he's like a YMCA basketball player.
Yeah, yeah. He's a pickup basketball guy. You know, he like just loiters around the court. Like, you guys try to play? You guys try to play? He has no friends of his own. He's just glomming on to other groups sometimes. Can't do it. And I also think when it comes to athletes like yourself and men running their fucking mouth, I always think like you're at home like to that man.
You're at fucking home watching her on TV. If you really, like, I always think, well, if I didn't get hurt, I just always think, what's stopping you now? Right. Go try to make the NBA right now, buddy. See how that works out. What's stopping you? He's like, it's just opportunity. Okay, well, go. Like, I'm sure they have trials. Right. Literally.
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Chapter 5: What are the differences between college and professional basketball for women?
And I was like, okay. So he's just playing a woman in basketball and basically bragging and saying she's a WNBA player but won't say who it is. So I'm like, is her back just to the camera the whole time? Right. And so the comments on this, like this one says, please explain to me how gender equality is even possible. Leave it to women to lie to themselves for every single thing in life.
I'm assuming he's saying like women could never play against men.
Yeah, that's crazy. But the fact that I just don't understand why men get so excited when they beat women.
like honestly that's what you're supposed to do like but isn't that like kind of your guys's thing yeah like that's what y'all say so it's like why are you even talking about also i don't believe you that that woman was a wnb player yeah me either i think that was that's trolling like you see how it is this trolling thing is crazy now it's truly it's like a fake video but i also think
In no reality, the video that I made was stitching this podcast with these two guys, and they said, do you think that the best high school basketball team, like men's basketball team, could beat the best WNBA team? That was the fucking prompt. That's so disrespectful. Exactly. To which I say...
uh no i don't think that a high school team could be the wmb nba team i saw something like that yeah i was like but too like what are these fake fucking questions like we're just making up hypotheticals like yeah that's why i'm like you like the men who say that shit i'm like you couldn't even make varsity in high school so what the fuck are we talking about like are you the guy to ask like who's the best basketball player in the world yeah i think it's so and so and i always say too that
professional men's basketball players don't talk shit on WNBA players like that.
Yeah, they don't.
At least not publicly. If they ever do, you never see it. No, they don't.
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Chapter 6: How do female athletes deal with misogynistic comments online?
They would scorch. What does that mean? Beat severely. Scorch. Okay. Scorch. I think a white guy wrote that. It had to be. Scorch. Most WNBA players. No. No. The answer to your question is no, they wouldn't. I feel like they think WNBA players are this big.
no yeah and that's what they they're all five two and petite that's what i literally think they think that they have to at this point and that's what they're gonna i'm telling you it's so funny to see you guys are so wrong you know what's crazy is if anything they're more talented because a lot of wmb players are also serving face they have like like they look gorgeous on top of being an athlete of course men don't do that yeah they look ugly while they play
They don't care about that. This next one says, no offense, but that's kind of why. That's why men get paid more. Not saying they're better, but because of the attraction of flashy dunks and consistency. Consistency. That's actually not why men get paid more. Yeah. Like, that's actually not true. They play more games and have more visibility. That's why they get paid more. Yeah.
Some people don't know that, though.
But I'm a stupid bitch, so what would I know? I'm a stupid woman. When I made that video, I got so much hate from so many men who are under 5'8". And every single one of them was like, well, who the fuck are you to comment on players? And I always say, I'm just as qualified as you. Not at all. Literally. You don't see me saying I could be Zaya. Like, I'm not saying that shit.
I'm not walking around being like, yeah, let me see Kaitlyn Clark in the paint. I'll get her in the fucking paint. I would never do that. Because I am not shit compared to her in basketball. Hello?
isn't that the whole fucking point i'm just as qualified as you buddy not at all okay this next video in this video wnba player kelsey plumb is being interviewed she explains that there is a common misconception with the wnba versus nba athletes and pay she says that they're not asking to make as much money as someone like lebron does they're asking to get paid the same percentage of revenue
For example, they sell her jersey at Mandalay Bay and she doesn't get any money from that. That's crazy. Crazy. That's fucking nuts. I did not know that. Crazy. And then these comments are fucking awful. This one says, just saying she's still making more than the middle class for a dream job. Like, stop complaining. It's just you never win, do you? They're like, oh, well, guess what?
Men get paid more. Yeah, I would like us to get paid in equal revenue shares. Now you're complaining. Complaining about getting paid for your job. Nice.
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Chapter 7: What advice does Zia Cooke have for young female athletes?
Totally. It's crazy because when I got in the W, I didn't even realize how much time and effort the W actually puts into getting us what we deserve. I'm like, man, the W, what's going on? Do they not care?
And then when I got to the league and I saw how many people were pushing for it, all the players that was pushing for it, I kind of felt bad that I was even feeling the way I felt about the W. And now that I'm seeing the way that it's getting better and better and it's increasing, it's just like – It's just timing. This is the timing for it to all happen.
As a woman, I just told someone, we're going to always get it hard, but we can handle it. I personally don't think men can handle what we go through. Honestly, I don't think they would be able to handle the things that women have to go through.
No, absolutely not.
This is the cards we were dealt, but we're on the rise for sure.
Yeah. And still and still doing it, like still fucking showing up, still coming and giving your hardest, like giving 100 percent every single fucking time. Yeah. Still talking about how much it matters. Still talking about women. That's another thing, too, that I love that you don't see in any male professional leagues, which is like.
the camaraderie like how everyone's kind of sticking together and uplifting each other even when they try really hard to pit women against each other yeah like female athletes they're like i'm not gonna sit here and talk shit on her with you like they're trying to make girls gossip about each other and shit it's not a thing it's like i'm a player she's a player she's a great player so am i like the fact that they give each other kudos even if you're not on the same teams always different schools because if we have no one else we only have each other
And I think that's what the whole WNBA is. Like, we're all a family. Totally. A total family. And even when we have altercations, one team just going back and forth for a player-owned player.
And that's just competitive. Yeah.
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Chapter 8: How does Zia Cooke envision the future of women's basketball?
I could beat them.
They show so much love. The NBA players, they even invest in the W. Magic Johnson owns the LA Sparks. That's someone that's retired from the NBA, but he's poured into us. I think that the love has always been there from the NBA, and it's like a brother and a sisterhood.
Yeah, absolutely. And I've said this, too, on one of my episodes. Like, I talked about how, like, I know Sabrina Ionescu was being, like, personally mentored by Kobe. Yeah. And he, like, asked to mentor her because he saw what a star she was. Like, that's the type of shit where I'm like, the greats are literally backing them. What the fuck are y'all talking about?
I'm like, all these five, six men piss me off. Yeah. This one says, this equal rights movement has gotten out of control. LOL. All right. Blah, blah, blah, blah, fucking blahs. Yeah, that's just nonsense.
it's literally just unsurprised it's like never surprising it's like that's the most consistent thing is men being a fucking hater it's crazy yeah well i was gonna say what is the craziest thing that's happened to you since like becoming a person outside of your sport because obviously now like people are separating you as like they're just seeing you as a celebrity now and on top of the craziest thing that's happened to me like it could be with an encounter with like a famous person maybe a favorite athlete
Oh, I feel like I'm not going to say the craziest one. I'm going to think about it when I leave. Like, dang, I should have said that.
No, you're fine. I always like to ask when people start, because this industry is kooky. Puts you in the room with some insane people.
The first one that came to my mind, and it's probably way more than I can say, but... When we played against Vegas, Floyd Mayweather was, like, sitting courtside.
Really?
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