In recent days, the WNBA playoffs—which should act as a thrilling capper to a memorable season—have been overshadowed by players' vivid, unflinching descriptions of the racism levied toward them this season.
After the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Indiana Fever Wednesday, for instance, Sun forward Alyssa Thomas told reporters via Thomas Schlachter of CNN "in my 11-year career I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base."
“I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media and there’s no place for it,” Thomas said.
On Friday, Fever guard Caitlin Clark—as she has in the past—took a hard line against those who would use her name for nefarious, hateful purposes.
“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments, and threats," Clark said. "Those aren’t fans, those are trolls, and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization and the WNBA.”
The entry of Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese into the league this season has created unprecedented interest around the WNBA, but it has also shone a spotlight on a rivalry often described in highly-coded terms. Reese, for her part, condemned her treatment by ESPN specifically and the media and fans more broadly.
"There are a lot of really good fans, whether they've been fans for 20+ years or they're new fans in our league," Clark said. "I think continuing to uplift this league in a very positive light is the best thing we can do... there are so many positive storylines that can be written and celebrated."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Sternly Rebukes Racism, Hateful Comments Directed Toward WNBA Players.
