The WNBA should be basking in the sunshine of a breakout season. Arena is full, TV ratings, notifications WNBA special on 60 Minutes Sunday night.
So why do my eyes feel swollen and inflamed like Caitlin Clark’s after last week’s Indiana-Connecticut playoff game?
Polk’s reception of the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year from All-Defensive first-team selection DeJonai Carrington sparked a media frenzy last week, an incident that has been brewing all season.
The growth and optimism that began this season evolved into jealous veterans, allegations of “angry black lesbians,” and intense social media abuse as the attention and engagement increased.
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Sportswriter Frankie de la Cretaz noted the tension some fans created during Game 2 of the Indiana-Connecticut playoff series. In last week’s Andscape article. One fan quoted in the article said that Indiana/Caitlin Clark’s actions “felt like a frenzy.”
Tenor’s condition worsened following an interview involving Carrington and Christine Brennan of the Washington Post. After asking about the play and Carrington replying that it’s something that happens in games, Brennan (to many) said that Carrington and his teammates were laughing about the play, as if Carrington were going to gouge Clark’s eyes out. It seemed like he was hinting at something.
Mr. Brennan’s responses to follow-up questions and criticisms were swift. Terry Jackson, president of the National Women’s Basketball Players Association, responded with a statement calling Brennan “unprofessional.”
“The so-called interview, disguised as journalism, attempts to trick professional athletes into participating in false reporting that fuels racist, homophobic, and misogynistic abuse on social media. It was a blatant attempt.” A statement was read. Carrington is openly LGBTQ.
“You have abused your privilege and do not deserve to be issued a certificate of eligibility,” the statement continued. “These qualifications mean you can ask anything, but they also mean you know the difference between what to ask and what not to ask.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert seemed fine with that tone when asked about it on CNBC’s Power Lunch on Sept. 9. Unlike the WNBA’s previous four chief executives, the first person to wear the title “Commissioner” held the title for many years. The 27-year-old’s unchanging ambitions remain in the league.
“This is part of the Bird magic when it came out in 1979.” Engelbert pointed to comparisons to Clark and fellow rookie and 2022 NCAA Finals rival Angel Reese.. “Those two rookies came in from a big rivalry in college, one was white, one was black. We had that moment with those two, and I think about the sport… The only thing I know is that I need competition. That’s what makes people pay attention.”
If there’s one thing the WNBA has striven for in its history, it’s that the WNBA has struggled in the eyes of the traditional, primarily male gatekeepers who have carved out such a place in sports media and sports fandom. will be seen as a “major” league. The organization has strived to project a level of respectability that appeals to “traditional sports fans,” defined as a predominantly male, cisnormative and heteronormative audience.
Daughters who, along with their parents, aspire to heroes who look like them? wonderful!
Are male hoop fans paying attention to the highest level of women’s hoops? we hope!
Who are those two women holding hands in the stands? Hmm…well…right?
It’s no secret that the WNBA has a significant number of lesbian fans. But when it comes to officially recognizing its fan base, the WNBA has throughout its history I have tried to maintain an arms-length approach.
Jason Whitlock and Clay Travis league metaphor “70% are lesbians” and, “Lesbian sex party” That’s a WNBA team’s worst nightmare. In fact, about 30% of the league According to a study conducted in 2022self-identified as lesbian, and approximately 20% have come out publicly. Some of them are some of the best players in the league.
Carrington was also named the league’s Most Improved Player this season and is one of the players out. his girlfriend, Narissa Smith; Ironically, he plays in Indiana.
Considering this, Carrington also addressed the harsh words he has received in the past for fair criticism of Clark.I understand and even agree with the backlash Brennan received for her interview.
While the first question was correct and fair, you can’t blame anyone who took the subsequent question as an attack on the character of Carrington and his teammates. Given the nature of the discussion leading up to that interview, Brennan should have been aware of this.
The attention Clark received led to some criticism of her, which indirectly influenced criticism of what some perceived as indifference when she expressed her views on the creation of the league. giving.
One of those who recently voiced concerns was one of the WNBA’s prominent white gay faces, New York Liberty All-Star Brianna Stewart, who said players from Indiana and elsewhere should speak out against fan racism. He suggested that.
“What if it were me? I would…” Stewart told New York Liberty Fan TV last week. “I really want to be in that position because I want the fans to take it all in and see and understand how hard these girls work on the court.”
For much of the season, some of the league’s black players have been saying pretty much the same things they hate about people like: Quoting Jemele Hill of the Atlantic“those who weaponized her (Clark) to express their hatred against Black and LGBTQ+ women.”
Mr Clark addressed this when asked last week, saying: “They’re not fans, they’re trolls.”
The WNBA has continued to make strides since its inception, and this season it has made it happen. However, hopes based on past sports paradigms may lead to veteran players and long-time fans who have never viewed the WNBA through a prism constructed by “traditional” (cishet, primarily white male) beliefs about big-time sports. It is vividly pierced.
Growth almost always comes with complications. But the WNBA’s talent pool and fan base are perhaps better equipped to handle that than any other major sports league.
The issues presented here are not new. Now is the time for Engelbart, the team owners, and the reporters who cover the sport, both experienced and new, to step in, discuss, listen, and learn while focusing on the bottom line and higher ideals. Now is the time to help create a course that cannot be achieved alone. We don’t just coexist, we come together.
Meanwhile, the Suns, Lynx, Liberty, and Aces are still in the playoffs. Enjoy the show. I know you will.
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Source: Outsports – www.outsports.com
