The Honey Beez Deserve Respect, Not Punchlines

I’ll be honest, when I first heard what was said about Alabama State’s Honey Beez at the FAMU game, I felt disappointed. Not just in the announcer, but in the fact that something meant to be a celebration of HBCU culture turned into a cheap joke at someone else’s expense.

The Honey Beez aren’t just a dance team. They’re a statement. They show that talent, confidence, and beauty don’t come in one shape or size. Whenever they perform, they light up the field. People clap, they cheer, and for a moment you forget the score of the game. That’s how powerful they are.

So to hear them reduced to the “new face of Ozempic” wasn’t just disrespectful it was a slap in the face to everything they represent. I thought about how much courage it takes to walk onto that field, in front of thousands, and perform with pride. That’s not easy for anyone. Yet the Honey Beez do it every single time with joy, confidence, and excellence. They deserve celebration, not ridicule.

I don’t doubt that Joe Bullard, the announcer, didn’t mean to cause the kind of harm he did. He’s been around for years, and he’s a familiar voice in HBCU sports. But intent doesn’t erase impact. Words matter, especially when they’re blasted over a loudspeaker to an entire stadium. And those words reminded a lot of people especially young girls in the stands that no matter how talented you are, someone will always try to make your body the punchline.

That’s the part that hurts the most. Because the Honey Beez don’t just dance for themselves. They dance for the people who look at them and finally feel seen. For the folks who have been told all their lives that they didn’t belong in spaces like that. They carry the weight of representation with every step.

FAMU and the SWAC did the right thing by addressing the incident and holding Bullard accountable. But as a community, we have to do more than punish. We have to uplift. We have to clap louder, stand taller, and remind these women that they are exactly where they belong.

The Honey Beez don’t need validation from anyone they prove their worth every time they hit the field. What they deserve is simple: respect. And as for the rest of us? We should be grateful they keep showing up and shining, even in a world that sometimes tries to dim their light.