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 mentioned they’ve skilled this season.
“No person in our league needs to be going through any form of racism, hurtful, disrespectful (or) hateful feedback and threats,” Clark mentioned. “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 throughout 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 in opposition to the Fever an electronic 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 believe in my 11-year profession, I’ve by no means skilled the racial feedback (like these) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas mentioned. ” … 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 incredible course, however, nah, we don’t need followers which can be gonna degrade us and name us racial names.”
Thomas mentioned the Fever ought to begin “checking their followers,” and in addition referred to as on the WNBA to do extra to defend its gamers. Solar coach Stephanie White mentioned the toxicity her gamers have skilled, in addition to gamers across the league, is unacceptable but in addition a mirrored image of society. She particularly talked about “racism, sexism, homophobia (and) transphobia” as points that plague the nation.
The WNBA launched a press release on Wednesday additionally condemning hateful feedback towards gamers: “The WNBA is a aggressive league with among the most elite athletes on this planet. 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 straight with groups and arenas to take acceptable measures, to incorporate involving regulation enforcement, as vital.”
White mentioned the media mustn’t enable on-line trolls to “develop into the story” and doubtlessly gas dangerous narratives. Fever ahead Aliyah Boston expressed an analogous stance in her season-ending information convention.
“I really feel just like the media performs a giant function in what different folks suppose, whether or not they watch the sport or not,” Boston mentioned. “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 simple to connect your self to the Fever as a result of we have now a whole lot 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 basic supervisor Lin Dunn, by studying a press release that emphasised there may be “no place for hate or racism of any form” within the WNBA. She additionally mentioned that the folks spreading vitriol aren’t “actual” Fever followers or WNBA followers.
Clark, who received the WNBA Rookie of the Yr award, talked about in June that individuals 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 rankings and attendance to ladies’s basketball.
“There are a whole lot 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 mentioned Friday. “I believe persevering with to uplift this league in a really constructive 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 constructive storylines that may be written and celebrated. And for me, that’s why I turned 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 believe the experiences she had at Iowa had been similar to this. … Offered-out arenas, media, trolls, the entire works,” Dunn mentioned. “She had already handled a whole lot of the issues that she is coping with now, and I believe social media has taken a toll on everybody. All of our gamers, all of our workers. We’ve all needed to cope with the problems that we see right this moment, and it’s unlucky and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”
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(Photograph of Caitlin Clark and Christie Sides: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Photos)
