The WAGs Tell All

As part of reporting Glamour’s WAG Week, we spoke to more than 15 WAGs, including Morgan Riddle, Olivia Dunne, Chariah Gordon, and Ayan Broomfield. We chatted about their lives, relationships, careers, and what they want the world to know about their lives in this unique role.

We had questions too. Like, how do they put together their game day outfits? And what is good and bad about being a WAG? So, we gathered their answers here to all your burning questions. You’ll be an MVP in WAG Studies in no time.

Do you like being called a WAG? Why or why not?

“I’ve always had a unique perspective on the term…like ‘influencer’ is an objective word, but because it’s such a female-dominated space and associated with women, it’s become negative. Same thing with WAGs. It means wives and girlfriends. I’ve never understood why that would be necessarily a negative thing…but because it’s associated with femininity and women that, all of a sudden it’s a negative thing? I’ve always embraced it.”

—Morgan Riddle, girlfriend of tennis player Taylor Fritz

“I’m indifferent. Sometimes I’m like, man, I wish instead of just saying a WAG or WAGs, people could really see more. They always say behind a strong figure is a strong partner. I believe that to be true. There are a lot of things that come with the league and a lot of twists and turns you got to just go with. The women behind these men are so much more than just a wife and a girlfriend.”

—Whitney Risner, wife of Minnesota Vikings player Dalton Risner

“I don’t love the term WAG. I feel like it labels you as if you’re owned by somebody. We all were somebody before we had a partner who plays a sport, but we’re so much more than just a wife or a girlfriend of a football player. A lot of us have such cool occupations, and not all of us are bloggers or influencers. I’ve met so many girls who do different things. They’re Pilates instructors, they’re teachers, they’re nurses—all these things outside of just being somebody’s partner.”

—Kennedy Frazer, wife of Detroit Lions linebacker Malcom Rodriguez

What is the biggest misconception about being a WAG?

“A lot of times people can forget that these athletes are real people who are trying to support a family, and they’re trying to live out their dreams. It can be hard because fans are so passionate about their teams and winning that a lot of these athletes are expendable and replaceable, and they are just there for their entertainment. It’s hard to remember that maybe we shouldn’t root for this person to lose their job. Maybe we shouldn’t root for this person to get cut. Or they think, oh, these players make so much money that no matter what, they’re fine. I know a lot of these players support not only their families, but their extended families. So it’s hard when you have people who don’t really recognize that part of it.”