INDIANAPOLIS – At Friday’s information convention following the conclusion of the Indiana Fever’s season, rookie Caitlin Clark and head coach Christie Sides condemned the racist rhetoric many WNBA gamers stated they’ve skilled this season.
“No one in our league needs to be going through any form of racism, hurtful, disrespectful (or) hateful feedback and threats,” Clark stated. “These aren’t followers. These are trolls, and it’s an actual disservice to the folks in our league, the group, the WNBA.”
The web focusing on of WNBA gamers seems to have reached a tipping level through the postseason. After the Connecticut Solar eradicated the Fever within the first spherical of the playoffs Wednesday, Solar veteran Alyssa Thomas pointed to the “Indiana Fever fan base” as directing hateful feedback at her and her teammates. Solar guard DiJonai Carrington shared on-line earlier than Recreation 2 towards the Fever an e-mail she obtained from an nameless supply that included threatening and racist language.
The Athletic’s @RomeovilleKid requested Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark in regards to the racism and different negativity gamers have endured this season.
“These aren’t followers. These are trolls.”pic.twitter.com/Im0IeDjGkv
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 27, 2024
“I feel in my 11-year profession, I’ve by no means skilled the racial feedback (like these) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas stated. ” … It’s unacceptable, actually, and, yeah, there’s no place for it. We’ve been skilled all through the entire whole factor, however I’ve by no means been referred to as the issues that I’ve been referred to as on social media, and there’s no place for it.
“Basketball is headed in an amazing route, however, nah, we don’t need followers which might be gonna degrade us and name us racial names.”
Thomas stated the Fever ought to begin “checking their followers,” and in addition referred to as on the WNBA to do extra to guard its gamers. Solar coach Stephanie White stated the toxicity her gamers have skilled, in addition to gamers across the league, is unacceptable but additionally a mirrored image of society. She particularly talked about “racism, sexism, homophobia (and) transphobia” as points that plague the nation.
The WNBA launched an announcement on Wednesday additionally condemning hateful feedback towards gamers: “The WNBA is a aggressive league with a few of the most elite athletes on the earth. Whereas we welcome a rising fan base, the WNBA is not going to tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening feedback made about gamers, groups and anybody affiliated with the league. League safety is actively monitoring threat-related exercise and can work immediately with groups and arenas to take applicable measures, to incorporate involving regulation enforcement, as essential.”
White stated the media shouldn’t enable on-line trolls to “turn into the story” and doubtlessly gas dangerous narratives. Fever ahead Aliyah Boston expressed the same stance in her season-ending information convention.
“I really feel just like the media performs a giant function in what different folks assume, whether or not they watch the sport or not,” Boston stated. “Typically folks aren’t even watching the video games. They’re simply taking a look at storylines and headlines that come out, and so they’re operating off of that. It’s straightforward to connect your self to the Fever as a result of we’ve got lots of consideration round us proper now, and it’s really easy to say, ‘Nicely, I’m a Fever fan, I’m an A.B. fan, I’m a Caitlin fan and simply (spew) hate off of that – and that’s by no means OK.”
Sides started her season-ending information convention Friday, alongside normal supervisor Lin Dunn, by studying an announcement that emphasised there may be “no place for hate or racism of any sort” within the WNBA. She additionally stated that the folks spreading vitriol aren’t “actual” Fever followers or WNBA followers.
Clark, who gained the WNBA Rookie of the Yr award, talked about in June that folks ought to “not be utilizing my title” to push any hateful agendas. The No. 1 choose broke a number of data all through her first season and continues to deliver unprecedented viewership scores and attendance to girls’s basketball.
“There are lots of actually good followers, whether or not they’ve been followers for 20-plus years or whether or not they’re new followers in our league,” Clark stated Friday. “I feel persevering with to uplift this league in a really optimistic gentle is the perfect factor we are able to do as a result of there are such a lot of nice gamers, there’s so many nice groups, there are such a lot of optimistic storylines that may be written and celebrated. And for me, that’s why I grew to become a fan of this league.”
Dunn counseled Clark for a way she’s dealt with the highlight, noting the scrutiny and negativity Clark has confronted whereas nonetheless main the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016.
“I feel the experiences she had at Iowa have been similar to this. … Offered-out arenas, media, trolls, the entire works,” Dunn stated. “She had already handled lots of the issues that she is coping with now, and I feel social media has taken a toll on everybody. All of our gamers, all of our workers. We’ve all needed to take care of the problems that we see at the moment, and it’s unlucky and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”
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(Picture of Caitlin Clark and Christie Sides: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Photographs)