Former University of Miami women’s basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder ‒ known widely as the Cavinder twins ‒ said they were “disappointed and disgusted” by a recent article that assessed their rise to stardom during the name, image and likeness era in college sports.
Hanna Cavinder released a statement Tuesday on her Twitter account on behalf of her and her sister against the article, which largely focused on the twins’ physical appearance.
“The interview for this article was obtained by a false pretense that it would be written about life after NIL, why we didn’t take our fifth year, our passions, and business opportunities,” the statement read. “We were specifically told via the publication the context would be ‘to see the Cavinders as a very important story not only in the context of women’s college sports but new media culture and business. …’
“The subsequent article not only demeaned our athletic achievements and business accomplishments it furthered the narrative that hard-working, creative, and driven women can only do well if they are deemed attractive. … We are both disappointed and disgusted by this journalism practice and blatant sexist trope. We only wish to inspire young (women) to chase their dreams, work hard, dream big. Now we must also defend them against men that wish to sum their potential to physical appearance.”
The article was written by Ethan Strauss for the online publication The Free Press and is a lengthy feature that tries to examine the rise of the Cavinders. The story published Tuesday for the newsletter, which is not affiliated with the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
“We discussed with our team and met the media opportunity openly after reviewing intentions,” the statement read. “Haley and I welcomed this man into our home. He followed us throughout the entire weekend asking us questions and understanding what goes on in our daily lives. After the weekend we had a sit-down interview in our kitchen for over an hour and was only asked one question about our ‘physical looks.'”
Who are the Cavinder twins?
The Cavinders were trailblazers in the NCAA’s NIL era. They joined Miami in April 2022 after transferring from Fresno State. Haley was a starting guard as the Hurricanes marched to a historic season and averaged 12.2 points per game. Hanna, also a guard, came off the bench and averaged 3.8 points per game. Miami made its first-ever women’s Elite Eight run in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The sisters were on track to earn $1 million in NIL money and transferred to Miami for a bigger platform. They have a combined 1.3 million followers on Instagram and 4.5 million followers on their joint TikTok account. They announced their decision to leave Miami’s women’s basketball program April 11.
While they were with the Hurricanes, the Cavinders struck deals with the WWE, Victoria’s Secret, Boost Mobile and Raising Cane’s. Also in April, they announced a partnership with Betr Holdings, Inc., a company co-founded by social media personality and professional boxer Jake Paul.
