Why Should Ayesha Curry Have to Apologize?

In Thursday night’s Game 6 of the NBA playoffs, the ref called 6 fouls on star Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry. Curry evidently thought the calls were unfair, because once he fouled out of the game, he ripped out his mouthpiece and threw it into the stands at spectators—getting him ejected from the game. His team ended up losing, meaning the Warriors and Cavs are tied going into Game 7.

His wife Ayesha Curry tweeted about the incident, stating: “I’ve lost all respect sorry this is absolutely rigged for money… Or ratings in not sure which. I won’t be silent. Just saw it live sry.” She deleted the tweet and then apologized, explaining her actions:

There’s a lot riding on these games for both the team and for the Curry family. When something happens that you perceive as unfair—from fouls in a tight game to alleged racial profiling of a family member—understandably, you get upset and react.

But why did people expect Ayesha to apologize for her tweet, and not expect her husband to apologize for hurling his mouthguard?

To be fair, Stephen did somewhat own up to his actions. “I did not mean to throw it at a fan,” Curry said in a press conference after the game. But while he apologized to the fan, he did not necessarily apologize for the act of throwing. “That was obviously not where I was trying to take my frustration out.” So taking out his frustration on someone was ok—he just accidentally chose the wrong someone.

Meanwhile, his wife had to perform a social media mea culpa and explain her emotions. She even felt the need to delete her tweet. People on Twitter ridiculed her reaction, calling her a “sore loser” and requesting that she “stop that noise.” More people, in fact, than were calling her husband a sore loser.

Would people rather women keep quiet, put them in their place? If it sounds like sexism, and looks like sexism…Remember the outrage when Gisele Bundchen expressed dismay over Tom Brady’s teammates? It wouldn’t have been the worst thing if Ayesha had taken a page from Gabrielle Union‘s playbook and just stayed the course. The wife of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade ripped referees in a series of tweets—no apology.

In the social media age, any off-the-cuff moment can take on astronomical significance. A tweet, for many people, can be good way to blow off steam…except when you’re famous and hundreds of thousands of people see you at your less-than-best. But she has every right to get upset, especially when no one is harmed by her emotional outbursts. Her tweet certainly didn’t hit any fans in the face. And she won’t have to pay $25,000 for it.