Titan Law PLLC

Let’s talk about why WNBA self-proclaimed diva Angel Reese wants to trademark an obvious insult and what it says about modern athlete marketing.

Angel (technically, Angel Reese LLC) has filed a trademark application for the term “mebounds” – a nickname that originated online to mercilessly mock her habit of inflating rebound stats by missing easy layups and grabbing her own rebounds.  In other words, a (ridiculously apt) roast.

Rather than laugh it off or, you know, actually work on finishing at the rim, Reese is now trying to own the insult by turning mebounds into a brand—specifically, for shirts, hats, and sweatshirts.

While not immune to shameless self-promotion (no shade), Angel has taken a hard left into trying to control the opposition narrative by capitalizing on a slam in the hopes that she can shame the critics.  Much like one of her airballs from just inside the 3-point line, this fails on so many levels.

Second-Year Player, First-Year Brand Energy

Angel is no longer riding the viral wave of March Madness or basking in the novelty of NIL deals. She’s now a second-year WNBA professional, where gimmicks start to wear thin and actual performance matters.

Instead of letting her play do the talking, she’s doing the marketing version of yelling, “I meant to miss that.”  Her marketing team had two choices:  1) accept the lemons; or 2) make weak-ass lemonade.  Neither is correct.  A smart marketing team would be focused on things she does well, not things she does embarrassingly wrong.  Podcasting? Modeling?  Both better options. Instead, they’re trying to grab peanuts while tearing down their own brand.

Trademarking mebounds isn’t clever.  It’s not subversive.  It’s not savvy.  It’s just…predictable.  Take criticism, slap it on a hoodie, and call it branding.  No need to address the substance when you can monetize the snark, right?  SMH.

Can You Trademark an Insult?  Sadly, Yes.

Under U.S. trademark law, the USPTO doesn’t care if the term is derogatory, ironic, or born from a meme.  It just cares whether:

1. The term identifies a source of goods or services (i.e., that fans associate mebounds with Angel Reese), and
2. It’s used in commerce (i.e., it’s being sold on actual products).

So, yes, you can absolutely trademark your own public dragging if you’re famous enough and committed to printing it on t-shirts.  Congrats.  I guess.

Not for nothing, there’s a lot of potential digs her marketing team could work on if they wanted to run up the bill with this strategy – off the top of my head:  Brick Hands, Captain Wide Eyes, Angel of Darkness, Forrest Dump, Brick Tuah, Butter Pecan, and Scrat.  Not sure why her team would give credence to any of them, but all bets are off with this idiotic mebounds strategy.

How the Trademark Process Works

Reese filed an intent-to-use (ITU) application, which means she hasn’t started selling mebounds merch yet – but she plans to (!).  Here’s how it plays out:

• USPTO Review:  The application gets examined for conflicts and legal compliance.
• Opposition Period: After approval, there’s a 30-day window for anyone to object (including people who might already be selling merchandise).
• Proof of Use:  Reese will eventually have to submit evidence that she’s selling merchandise with the mark.

If no one opposes it and she follows through, the mark gets registered.  And just like that, a viral takedown becomes a protected brand.  But, fair warning, if someone else has already made a t-shirt with mebounds on it and sold it, you’re, well, fouled out.  And, you’ve just wasted a bunch of money, Angel.

But, let’s say for the sake of argument, she’s raced to the Trademark Office first.

What About Other Uses of “mebounds”?

Angel’s application, incidentally, only covers clothing (Class 25).  That means:

• Fantasy team name?  Fair game.
• YouTube commentary?  Still free speech.
• Putting it on mugs or sneakers? Not covered—unless she files again.
• Takedown requests? Not valid.

Unless Angel expands her trademark filings, there’s plenty of room for the term to live on outside her control.  But given the lack of self-awareness behind the filing (and her recent video), expansion is probably already on her mood board and, honestly, just designed to make her lawyers money.  If Angel or her team thought this was going to eliminate the insult, they probably just inflamed the problem, honestly.

Source: X.

She’s Not the First to Try This

Angel is following a long line of celebrities who tried (and sometimes failed) to trademark viral phrases tied to their public persona, often unintentionally embarrassing themselves in the process.

• LeBron James – “Taco Tuesday”:  Denied.  USPTO said it’s too generic.
• JR Smith – “You Trying to Get the Pipe?”:  Abandoned.  He never followed through.
• Taylor Swift – “This Sick Beat”: Registered.  Because she packaged it like the business it is.
• Marshawn Lynch – “I’m Just Here So I Won’t Get Fined”:  Registered.  And actually used, effectively, in commerce.

Reese’s mebounds attempt feels more like JR Smith than Marshawn Lynch, i.e., reactive, clunky, and built on a joke at her own expense that she hasn’t quite reclaimed.

Final Thoughts: Trademark the Roast, But Don’t Expect a Trophy

mebounds isn’t savvy branding.  It’s performative damage-control for dummies, hoping other idiots conclude that your failures are tantamount to systemic race dog-whistles.  Not for nothing, rebounding itself is an art of failure – either someone else’s or yours.  In the WNBA, granted, it’s a virtual certainty, but still, a mark of failure.  You’re not Dennis Rodman and, Jesus, why would you want to be the WNBA’s Dennis Rodman?

There’s a real difference between owning your narrative and slapping a ® next to an online insult.  Angel had (and maybe still has) a chance to rise above the criticism or turn it into something empowering.  Instead, she appears to be leaning in just far enough to monetize the criticism (I guess) without ever acknowledging why it exists in the first place. Self-inflicted wound.

This isn’t brand-building.  It’s brick-laying.  Repeatedly.  Off the glass.  Angel, you know about that.

It’s not as though Angel hasn’t been advised that all of her “positive” nicknames are not protectible, right?  All of the Barbie nonsense, for example (Black Barbie, Chi Barbie, League Barbie, Double-Double Barbie, 305 Barbie, Baltimore Barbie, etc.).  None of that can be monetized.  Someone told her this, right?  Right?!

Trying to grab a few nickels here and there?  Okay.  Spending dollars to grab nickels?  Not okay.  Not having a plan?  Unforgiveable.  While I wouldn’t pass to Angel Reese with a second left on the clock to hit the game-winner under any circumstance, that doesn’t mean she can’t turn her “brand” into real value.  But, this mebounds nonsense just tells me she (and her team) don’t want the ball in that situation, either.  And, sadly, that says all we need to know about Angel Reese. Have fun being the most recognizable Door Dash driver ever.

Hey, if you want to learn more about brand-building and not turning gold into lead, contact Titan Law PLLC at blog@titanlawny.com. Follow us @titanlawny on Instagram and X.