The WNBA Tunnel Fit Is Redefining Queer Fashion

Not long ago, social media content about women’s basketball was primarily composed of clips from games and a handful of commentators dedicated to the space. Compare that to today when you can find fan edits of players and couples, crispy screenrecorded clips from hilariously impromptu Instagram Lives, and group fan discussions on basketball strategy and outcome. But perhaps the starkest and most visually notable difference in recent years is the rise of the Tunnel Fit.A Tunnel Fit (n.) is the outfit that the player wears while walking through the arena’s tunnels, or back of house, before the game. Think of it as the women’s basketball red carpet, where players get to flex a little bit — sporting new looks, announcing partnerships, and building their brands as professional athletes.To the average person who is not knee deep in stats sheets, or drawing up plays at half-time, Tunnel Fits have been a more approachable introduction to learning about professional women athletes — with the added bonus of signaling queerness to a yearning WLW population during their pre-game fit check.And with the old Hollywood glam-inspired looks of this year’s draft night, the new class of rookies made the case that this next era of women’s basketball is the crescendo of the growing queer renaissance the WNBA has been undergoing for the past decade. But for people who have been following the WNBA for the past 30 years, this long-awaited celebration of the possibility of multi-million dollar contracts, brand deal opportunities, and expansion teams is long overdue.More money means more players now have the ability to get additional support from professional stylists like Sydnee Paige (Chelsea Gray, Azzi Fudd), Brittany Hampton (Paige Bueckers), Amadi Brooks (Jackie Young, Syd Colson), Christal A. Williams (Brittney Sykes), and Blvkindigo, pronounced “Black Indigo”(Ty Harris), to push the envelope of what it means to be fitted and fly as both a queer person and women’s ba