Not even 24 hours after Basketball Wives star Royce Reed shows the world her new found love, professional athlete, and romantic bliss…baby mommas and old flames unleash a Twitter war. Even if you have no plans to become a reality TV diva, here are some lessons you can learn from Royce’s latest spectacle.
By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
Basketball Wives has been a television travesty ever since Shaunie O’Neal decided to make a living off pimping black women (and Suszie) who used to sleep with professional athletes. While a couple of the ladies used to be wives, the ongoing theme of Basketball Wives has been that no one is a wife. But that doesn’t mean the show has been lacking in the drama department, as there has still been plenty of wig snatching, bottle throwing, and jumping across tables to boot.
While it does appear none of the women have much going on except their catty dinners and pointless arguments, Royce has obviously been getting hers. From plays to workout videos, Royce has been focused on capitalizing off her reality stardom.
And in the meantime, she has had more boos than any of her catty co-stars to date. Her new man (Dezmon Briscoe, a wide receiver) doesn’t come without baggage. Not even in his mid 20s, he has a baby momma, and if last night is any indication, she isn’t too thrilled with his new-found fame.
Virtually without any followers before lashing out against Royce on the social networks, she decided it was appropriate to let Royce know on Twitter, that she was still involved sexually with Dezmon. A few hours and tweets/screenshots later, Royce was left to distinguish if her man had really been stepping out on her. It only got worse and more interesting when other random women began to share their own experiences with Dezmon.
Since we are an online magazine for black women, gossip really isn’t our thing. But through all this drama, there a few lessons every woman can learn from all of this:
1. Always use caution when dating men who have children with women they claim they are no longer sleeping with.
When I was dating, I made a conscious choice not to date men who had children. For some people, that may seem unfair, but for me, the request was a reasonable one. I love children, but I don’t love drama. And when it comes to most baby mommas, there is plenty of drama I wasn’t trying to be involved in.
I don’t have any kids, so I didn’t want to date a man who had kids. I wanted to build a family, not add-on to one that was already established. Again, that was my preference. However, if you have children or you don’t mind dating a man who has any children, just make sure that the relationship between he and the child’s mother isn’t a complicated one. Because if it is, your relationship will be a tough one.
2. You should always keep a man’s bedroom skills to yourself.
Royce is too damn old to not know the golden rule. And on National Television, she broke it royally. At that very moment, I realized this woman was not the brightest crayon in the box, or the mature Basketball Wife I had hoped she was.
It is something about telling other women about your man’s sexual abilities that just strikes a nasty chord in them. I guarantee you when you tell the right ones about the things he can do with those limbs of his, someone will get nosey enough just to see if you were even telling the truth. Yes, men should be faithful, but women should protect their relationships enough and keep things like that in-house.
In less than two minutes, last night we learned that Royce’s man is a pro at oral sex and that he has been pleasing her so well in the bedroom that she felt the need to screw him on the rooftop, ON NATIONAL TV.
Minutes later, baby momma and company became Twitter Celebrities.
I’m not saying she’s completely to blame, but talking too much most likely ignited some nasty reactions.
3. Don’t be quick to discount the evidence.
Royce was sent proof of her man’s cheating ways, and she laughed it off. She even said that the number in the text message had been changed…on a Nokia phone.
I’ve had a Nokia phone, and I don’t even think that is possible. Hell I have an iPhone, and I don’t even think I could do that with the damn near one million apps available.
I have had a woman confront me of an ex’s cheating ways, and while it does hurt, I listened and found a much healthier relationship. Other women aren’t always the enemy, sometimes they are the truth you need to move on to better.
4. Always be the bigger woman.
Going back and forth or Twitter is never classy, I don’t care who does it.
If you’re approached on the social networks about the loyalty of your significant other, encourage the other woman to call you and get on grown woman status. A phone call is better than being some random person’s Twitter entertainment for the day. Despite it all, always keep it classy.
There will always be bitter women, and no, we shouldn’t allow them to ruin our relationships. But sometimes we have to remember that our partners aren’t perfect, and the truth can come in variety of forms.
Even in a tweet.
Royce made herself look like a bird on Twitter yesterday. First of all, he is like 22, she’s 30! Dude is young enough to have side chicks, so why try to play the BM like he isn’t capable of cheating? Lastly, uploading the convo in which she asked him if he cheated was just sad as hell. I am embarrassed for all involved, but more so Royce because she is old enough to know better.