Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese says the media should have done more to address the ongoing issue of racism in women’s basketball before it reached a boiling point.
The WNBA said Wednesday after Connecticut Sun All-Star Alyssa Thomas denounced “racist comments from the Indiana Fever fan base” after the Sun’s 87-81 series-clinching game. It condemned all “racist, derogatory and threatening comments” directed at the players. Beyond Fever. Ms. Reese said this is a long-standing issue, noting that she has been the subject of racially motivated hatred for some time.
But Ms Rees said her pleas for accountability and action had been repeatedly ignored. “The media has profited from my pain and my demonization to create a narrative.” she wrote to x. “They allowed this. This was to their benefit…You guys were a little late to the party, so you could have tried to put out this fire long before it started.”
in Reaction to ESPN’s Andraya Carter video — Carter said, “Excitement is at an all-time high across the league, but the racial slurs, derogatory comments and cyber bullying are also at their worst.” — Reese said, “Over the past two years Having experienced such a situation, I said, “Please hold back your tears” and “Stop playing the victim.”
Reese and Indiana Fever recruit Caitlin Clark have played against each other frequently, dating back to their college days at LSU and Iowa, respectively. The popularity surrounding Reese, Clark and the 2024 WNBA rookie class led to increased viewership and support for the league, but it wasn’t necessarily sincere support. In July, Reese’s mother shares racist message from a WNBA fan who claims to support Clark to her daughter.
“I sometimes share my experience of what happened to me, but for too long I allowed this to happen to me, and now other players in this league are doing the same.” I am dealing with this and going through the same thing,” Reese wrote on Thursday. “This is not OK at all. Anything beyond criticism when it comes to playing the game we love is wrong. I’m sorry to all the players who have gone through or continue to go through the same thing that I did. there is no.”
Reese said she started her own podcast, Unaporegively Angel, to take control of her own narrative. “This is why I started the podcast: to reclaim my voice and create a story about who I am as a real person. I don’t want an apology and I don’t think this is going to stop. Well, something has to change.”
The issue of racism plaguing the WNBA resurfaced after Thomas condemned the “unacceptable” behavior of fans.
“We were professional throughout,” Thomas said. “But I’ve never been called anything like what I’ve been called on social media. And there’s no place for that.”
In response, the WNBA issued a statement saying it was “monitoring activity related to the threat” and would work with teams and venues to “take appropriate action, including the intervention of law enforcement, if necessary.” said. , the WNBA does not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made against players, teams, or league officials,” the statement added.
Contributed by: Steve Gardner