Stop The Racism BETWEEN CAITLIN CLARK & ANGEL REESE
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WNBA accused of racism for Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese decision
Angel Reese and LSU didn’t back down against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the 2023 title game.AP
The Bird-Magic-like rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has carried over into the WNBA.
However, this chapter has less to do with what either did on the hardwood over the weekend. Instead, it highlights how one played before a national audience, while the other, who is just as polarizing and has as much reason to be broadcast nationally, did not.
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Here is the breakdown from sportswriter Chris Phelps, who pointed out the league’s odd programing choice via Athlon Sports:
The Chicago Sky vs. Minnesota Lynx preseason game was not streamed online by the WNBA. … unlike what the league did with the Caitlin Clark debut for the Indiana Fever, with that Friday night debut in Dallas a cause celebre.
Many are ripping the WNBA for this imbalanced decision. Clark’s game was televised and coverage easy to access. Reese’s game, not so much.
Like Ervin “Magic” Johnson’s historic rivalry versus Larry “Legend” Bird, race has played a role in the nature of this rivalry and the way fans on each side have dug in. Some feel racism powered the move to highlight Clark — college hoops’ all-time leading scorer — while censoring her nemesis and one of the league’s most marketable personalities.
“The WNBA is wild embarrassing. To not have Angel Reese and Kamila Cordossa games on the league pass is insane. Angel Reese is one of the reasons why women’s basketball is getting so much attention but they made sure to put the white girl front and center, I’m tired of them,” wrote one WNBA fan via X (formerly Twitter).
“The fact that the only WNBA game televised was the Indiana Fever game is a slap in the face to every woman in the league, but what it really shows is the racism in all of this,” wrote another.
Perception isn’t always reality, but the point is valid.
Clark, who was drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever on April 15 has become the face of the WNBA, and for good reason after Clark was a two-time Sullivan Award winner given to the country’s most outstanding athlete in college or Olympics.
Despite Clark’s prowess, Reese, who declared for the WNBA draft with a Vogue fashion shoot and was selected by the Chicago Sky out of LSU with the seventh overall pick, beat Clark and the Hawkeyes for the 2023 national championship before Clark returned the favor in the semi-final this year. However, Reese is the proud owner of a national title, while Clark, for all of her accomplishments, is not.
