AJ McArthur has a lot of work to do. As the owner of the fledgling Miami Spice bikini basketball team, he's in charge of recruiting players, promoting his product, and getting people excited about girls in their skivvies on the court. (Okay, that last part's not so hard.) And as co-owner and commissioner of the nationwide Bikini Basketball league, he's also tracking the progress of competing leagues in cities like Chicago, New York, Orlando, and Atlanta.
It's a big job, but when women playing basketball in bikinis is at stake, somebody's gotta do it.
See also:
- Bikini Basketball Exists and It's Coming to Miami
- Bikini Basketball Tryouts Brought Out Fame Seekers, True Ballers, and a Whole Lot of Cleavage
As round two of the Miami Spice tryouts approaches, we asked McArthur about the future of Bikini Basketball, the responses he's gotten from fans and enemies, and of course, what exactly our city's newest athletes will be wearing on the court.
Cultist: Why a second round of tryouts -- was there a lack of talent at the first ones?
A.J. McArthur: There will be a total of three tryouts. The first was to find an initial group of talent. Those chosen from the first round advance to the second round. The newcomers to the second tryouts will also be chosen just like the first group was. The chosen group will then face the first chosen group in scrimmages in order for us to pick the best talent from both groups.
The third tryouts [to be held on a date TBD] will only include those elite players that are chosen from the second tryouts, and they will battle it out for the official positions on the team.
Can you give us an update on Bikini Basketball around the country? Any word on when games might start?
The growth of the Bikini Basketball Association has been simply amazing! We are exploring numerous opportunities with national and international reach. We are looking to start the games between mid and late May. We are currently in the middle of scheduling.
What's the plan for team uniforms for the Spice?
We are in meeting after meeting reviewing uniforms by local designers, and we are awaiting news from some major sponsors. We plan to go in the same direction of the Olympic Volleyball uniforms. A decision will soon be made.
Since news broke about the Bikini Basketball league, reactions seem to be split between people who are really excited about the league, and people who see it as exploitative of women. What would you say in response to the haters?
We don't have anything to say to them. Actions speak louder than words. We'd much rather show the world our direction and prove to them that our league will bring more positive attention to female athletes worldwide.
Miami Spice tryouts return to Elizabeth Virrick Park on Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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