truthseekersjournal
By Rachel Bachman – The Wall Street Journal
From the moment she entered the WNBA, Caitlin Clark has helped boost TV audiences, grow attendance and vault the league into the sports mainstream. The most-watched games have featured Clark’s Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese—rivals since they faced off in the 2023 NCAA women’s championship game.
But as the WNBA surged this year, an undercurrent of ugly discourse has circulated between followers of Clark, who is white, and Reese and many of the rest of the league’s players, who are Black. Players have received racist abuse online, physical intimidation and even death threats.
The issue burst into the open Tuesday, when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked during a TV interview about her efforts to curb social-media discourse that takes a “more menacing” tone regarding players’ race or sexuality. Engelbert responded that this season is the WNBA’s Larry Bird-Magic Johnson breakout moment and advised those being targeted to simply ignore the abuse.
The reaction from the players was swift. Several posted on social media or gave interviews criticizing Engelbert’s comments.
“This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities,” the WNBA Players Association posted on X. “Racism, and the toll it takes on everyone, is NEVER tolerable, let alone justifiable, in the name of economic growth.”
On Friday morning, in response to the fallout, Engelbert sent an apology to all of the league’s players. In the letter, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, she wrote: “I was asked a question about WNBA rivalries and the dark side of social media and race and simply put, my answer missed the mark and I’m sorry.”
She continued: “I regret that I didn’t express, in a clear and definitive way, condemnation of the hateful speech that is all too often directed at WNBA players on social media. This is a teachable moment and one that I embrace with humility.”
Engelbert pledged that the league would be swift in denouncing racism, misogyny and homophobia, would continue providing mental-health resources and would listen to its players.
Players have long received sexist barbs from the public, said Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm forward and president of the players’ association. But this season has brought a surge in racially motivated abuse, she said, adding that she has experienced it herself.
“Players have had to shut down their (social-media) accounts,” she said. “Players have had to be escorted away from certain high-concentrated fan environments.”
Reese, who recently suffered a season-ending injury, said on a podcast that she had received death threats and even been followed home.
Ogwumike spoke with Engelbert on Thursday and said, “We’re looking to move forward together. I encouraged her, you know, to develop that personal relationship with players, to maybe understand our lived experiences and, in fact, help the league grow bigger and better.”
This season, the league instituted league-wide charter flights for every game. In one incident last season, a man shouted at and filmed WNBA star Brittney Griner as she and the Phoenix Mercury traveled through a commercial airport.
The league also requires teams to include security in their travel parties and in arenas, and has security representatives in each market and at all games.
Audiences for the WNBA on ESPN networks have jumped 170% this season, to an average of 1.2 million per game. The WNBA playoffs begin Sept. 22.
Write to Rachel Bachman at Rachel.Bachman@wsj.com
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