The WNBA regular season recently began with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese renewing their rivalry. Clark fouled Reese hard, and the league launched an investigation into Reese receiving “hateful fan comments.”
What was a hard foul on a normal basketball play has turned into a debate about hate and race that one WNBA analyst has had enough of.
Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry Is Leading WNBA Analyst To Potentially Stop Watching
The rivalry began during the 2023 NCAA Tournament when LSU defeated Iowa for the national championship. Reese was criticized for taunting Clark towards the end of the game. They played again in the Elite Eight the following year, with Iowa advancing to the Final Four.
Both players entered the 2024 WNBA Draft, with Clark going No. 1 overall and Reese being selected seventh. Clark was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds, while Reese led the league in rebounds at 13.1 per game. Clark and the Indiana Fever made the playoffs while Reese and the Chicago Sky finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Since it began, this rivalry has been a must-watch, but the consistent hateful and racially based discourse is becoming too much for one analyst.
Rachel DeMita hosts the “Courtside Club” podcast and recently posted a clip discussing the situation.
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DeMita said, “It’s so embarrassing covering this league if this is gonna be the whole season. I can’t do it again, you guys. Like, I’m not interested. I’m this close to not being interested in basketball anymore, because we can’t escape this stuff that comes up. It was one game, and the WNBA wanted to capitalize on the Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark rivalry by putting these two teams up against one another five times during this season.
“We have four more games of this, and this was game one on a basketball play. On a basketball play. Has escalated into this. Now, fans are petitioning for the All-Star Game to not be held in Indiana because it’s clearly not safe. There is a petition for Dave Portnoy to never be able to attend WNBA games.”
Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, has been a vocal Clark supporter since her days at Iowa. He’s also caught significant heat for what he’s said against Reese.
DeMita continued, “There is a petition for Caitlin Clark to be arrested. I’m not joking when I say this, arrested. This is something that’s also gone viral. A petition that has gone viral on social media for Caitlin Clark to be arrested because she ‘stat-padded,’ and supposedly, when she went back in the game to get her triple-double, that is the reason Dave Portnoy hit his parlay and won over $300,000.
“I’ve actually seen screenshots of people emailing the WNBA to report this on the side of Caitlin Clark.”
This incident even led to an awkward public social media beef between two former NFL players. It’s hard to imagine this discourse won’t continue the next time Indiana and Chicago link up.
Clark and Reese are bringing more eyes to the WNBA than ever before, but at what cost?