Fans throwing out racially-charged remarks have become more aggressive in the WNBA especially with the arrival of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. The two rookies’ rivalry have carried over from their collegiate years to the professional league, and so has the animosity between their respective rabid fanbases. Because of it, the talk of women’s basketball itself has seemingly become less important due to issues of race and discrimination.
Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas shed light on the racial slurs and discriminatory comments running rampant in the league during her postgame interview following the Sun-Fever playoff series. The forward said that she had never experienced the level of racial comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase in her 11-year career.
“I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it,” Thomas said. “Basketball is headed in a great direction. But we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names.”
ESPN’s Andraya Carter added her own thoughts on the issues raised by Thomas, factoring online bullying into the situation. She said it is “sad” that outside factors overshadow the excitement the WNBA brings recently.
Angel Reese’s response seemingly blames the WNBA media for propagating the increase in fan toxicity.
“Y’all know i’ve been going through this for the last two years but was told ‘save the tears’ and ‘stop playing victim.’ Y’all a little late to the party and could have tried to put out this fire way before it started,” Reese posted on X.
Reese was apparently referring to Jason Whitlock and Dan Patrick, two of the analysts who called her out for “always trying to play the victim.” The two analysts drew attention to the “Chi Barbie” openly embracing the role of a “villain” but complaining when she couldn’t get her way.
In Reese’s opinion, the WNBA could have stepped in preemptively to take care of the outside noise that didn’t have anything to do with basketball. Instead, she felt like they waited until the playoff before releasing a statement.
Angel Reese cried discrimination after Elite Eight loss to Caitlin Clark
Before they joined the WNBA this year, Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers met Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight. LSU lost to Iowa, 94-87, ending the Tigers’ reign as the NCAA women’s champion as well as Reese’s collegiate career.
In the postgame press conference, Reese cried and opened up about the racial discrimination she received. Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, who works as a Fox News analyst, reacted to the scene.
“Angel Reese, you can’t be the big bad wolf, but then kind of cry like Courage the Cowardly Dog,” Acho said. “Nobody mourns when the villain catches an L. Angel Reese, you have self-proclaimed to be the villain. Shout out to you because you were the second-best basketball player on the court, and it was not close.”
Acho practically told Reese to “save her tears”—the same remark she took a shot at the WNBA media for. The former footballer-turned analyst drew a ton of flak for his remarks, but many also sided with him.
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