Last summer, Notre Dame women’s basketball star Hannah Hidalgo shared a video of American political commentator Candace Owens saying to CNN television host Don Lemon, “It’s a sin” when speaking about same-sex marriage to her Instagram story.
This decision from Hidalgo sparked a lot of controversy among the women’s basketball community, given the prevalence of LGBTQ+ and same-sex marriage representatives and advocates in the sport.
Hidalgo hadn’t addressed this until her April 5 article in the Players’ Tribune, which was titled ‘Created a Monster’.
“Until recently, basketball was this outlet. But when you’re 19 years old and trying to figure your life out, and you start to get buzz on social media – when you suddenly have a platform – it can be really overwhelming,” Hidalgo wrote.
“It’s a learning process. Among other things, you have to be intentional about what you post. Which goes double if it’s somebody else you’re amplifying – as opposed to something that comes from your heart, that reflects your character and authentic self.
“You know the post I’m talking about.”
“Now, feeling misinterpreted is one thing. I’ve always been very private, and learning how to navigate the media in public as a young person is just plain hard. But realizing that I had this new responsibility and that I’d let people down, given the wrong impression, maybe even hurt people I care about – that got me spiraling,” she continued.
“I grew a lot from the conversations I had coming off that mistake, especially with friends I was afraid I’d hurt. Instead, I was relieved to feel embraced and safe. I am not homophobic — I love all people, and believe we all deserve to exist authentically, but I understand now how that narrative developed. I should have been more public about how much I value everyone’s humanity and how what makes us unique as individuals can be what powers a great team.”
Unmoved. @PlayersTribune https://t.co/Riuw0vJgE2
— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) April 5, 2025
One must respect Hidalgo for deciding to address this controversy.
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