Andrews added: “At the end of the day, it’s all about you trying to find your image and trying to sell yourself. If I’m playing a sport where you primarily see lighter faces and straight hair, it’s about what I project that is appealing to the demographic softball reaches. … I need to be presentable, in my mind, in a way that will relate to those people so I can have the fan base to grow my image. It’s a lot you have to think about. You can never just play, especially being women in sports and also being black women in sports. It weighs on you a lot.”
Both Andrews and Ogwumike recounted instances of support as well. Andrews recalled a day when she went 0-for-3 at the plate but a young African-American girl still declared that Andrews was her favorite player. Ogwumike told an anecdote about being in the airport with her Los Angeles Sparks teammates and encountering two young white boys who were thrilled to meet them.
All three women talked about how they need to be catalysts for the changes they wish to see, whether it be better pay for female athletes or more opportunities for black women on the field and in other sports-related jobs, from coaching to broadcasting.
“What I’m realizing is before we can even begin to have these conversations with those outside of our experience, there needs to be an awareness,” Ogwumike said. “There needs to be an awareness of those affected directly like us, there needs to be an awareness of those indirectly affected. Everyone needs to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, and I’m seeing that that’s the problem. … When I’m done playing, when I’m retired, I want to at least say that I left it better than when I came in.”