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Earlier today, Stephanie McMahon joined The Female Quotient to discuss Women In The Business of Sports, focusing on the issues of racism and systematic inequalities. I had the opportunity to ask WWE's Chief Brand Officer a question on the Zoom call - so I asked about WWE Superstar Bianca Belair, and the project she and partner Montez Ford have embarked upon - The Culture Connection.
The call featured Stephanie McMahon, WNBA Executive Rushia Brown, Emmy Award winning sports broadcaster Anne Marie Anderson, and Shelley Zalis - the CEO of The Female Quotient.
Sports has long been an arena for social change. As racism continues to pervade our society, we discuss how the sports industry can tackle systemic inequalities and inspire collective action.
You can watch the entire episode below, or read on for the transcript of Stephanie McMahon discussing Bianca Belair.
Stephanie McMahon praises Bianca Belair
Discussing Bianca Belair's personality, Stephanie McMahon noted how different The EST of WWE is from her on-screen character, before calling her one of the "most incredibly gifted athletes" she's ever seen.
"Bianca... I don't know her very well personally, but I know her story and I've seen her just rise through the ranks. She is one of the most incredibly gifted athletes I've ever seen in my life. So strong. Her character is just all sass, and I mean, she will just get right in there and tell it like it is, and then throw down because she has everything she needs to back it up. But then, personally, she's actually quite reserved. And she is very sweet, and a little bit quiet, and very different than her character that she portrays."
McMahon would go on to say how "true" Belair is - in more ways than one.
"She is true, and she is true to herself. And true to her message, and true to her man. They have this incredible relationship, and I actually watched Bianca in the ring one night having, at that point in time, one of the biggest matches of her career, and sitting right there backstage watching her was Montez. He had tears in his eyes when she came through the back, and they embraced, and it was just like... She had his full support, and you could feel it, and it was amazing. At that time, her career was a little bit ahead of what he was doing."
The Culture Connection
Regarding the pair's new project - Culture Connection - Stephanie McMahon noted how "incredible" it was.
"What they are doing on The Culture Connection is incredible. I checked it out when they first launched it - and I think they've been continuing to add to it - but I think anything we can do to amplify our voices, to amplify voices of all communities but, in particular, the African American community. And, if you're providing resources, that's what we're talking about, right? Education and awareness. That's where I think it really starts is having these conversations and hearing one another."
Stephanie McMahon would continue to note how she watched a stream recently of Xavier Woods speaking about his upbringing - a story she had never heard until she saw it on social media.
"One of our Superstars, Xavier Woods, he was doing an interview on Twitch and I saw it on social media and he said how when he was growing up, and he grew up in suburbia, a predominantly white environment, and he said he was taught how to not come across as aggressive.
"He was taught to play an instrument, he was taught to really focus on academics - how to pull himself back, just because of the color of his skin. And I just don't think people know, I don't think people know these stories, I know I have not heard them until just recently and this is a moment in time to listen and to share, and to do everything we can to bring people together."
McMahon concluded her statement by quoting Martin Luther King.
"I have so many Dr. King quotes in my head but, 'I choose love because hate is far too great a burden to bear,' you know?"
For more information, you can visit The Female Quotient here and The Culture Connection here.
