There is no question that Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have sparked a lot of chatter amongst fans of basketball. The two athletes first faced off in college when Angel Reese went to Maryland and Caitlin Clark to Iowa. Most people are familiar with the battles between the two when Reese was on LSU and Clark Iowa. This is when the rivalry began. It has since continued into the WNBA as they are both in their rookie seasons currently. It has been a huge boost for the organization because the Clark and Reese are two of, if not the two, most popular players in the WNBA. A healthy rivalry is always good in sports. The question is: Is this rivalry healthy for everyone?
Since the two players started going under the spotlight in college, there has been coverage on outlets such as ESPN, Twitter/X, and Instagram among others. People on these platforms are constantly giving opinions whether professional or not. From what I have noticed, it seems that the fans take an approach that is not based on skill, but instead, race. It is easier for people to choose a side between the two players because they are of separate race. This also makes the debates more hostile between fanbases. The main way I consume this rivalry is through instagram as the videos from popular accounts will post videos of the two players every so often. When I see the posts of either player doing something in a game, whether they are playing one another or not, there are always comments about both players. Many times, it there are hateful comments about the opposing player. It is definitely much more obvious when it comes to comments about Angel Reese
Although everyone is entitled to an opinion, there is a few things to mention. Angel Reese finished with the most rebounds in the WNBA in just her rookie season as well as Caitlin Clark finishing rookie of the year. They have both come out in interviews appreciating the way they both push each other to be better. However, fans of Caitlin Clark, specifically, do not seem to care whether they respect each other or not. I say this because, as stated before, middle-aged white men on Instagram are constantly posting comments under pictures of Angel Reese and giving her hate. When she gets an award for most rebounds, they claim it is because she can’t shoot. When she does an interview after a game, she is called arrogant or ghetto. And finally, when she posts a picture of her on instagram, the comments are filled with people calling her names and sexualizing her. As a comparison, Caitlin Clark seems to be praised for her playing skills, coined as well-spoken and humble when doing interviews, and admired for the way she carries herself.
While the positivity for her is amazing, that is not the point. The point is that the ones who praise Caitlin Clark, who is a white female basketball player, are people who also hate on Angel Reese. In many cases these so-called “fans” of Caitlin Clark are really just haters of Angel Reese. It is for this very reason, I believe they are trying to separate the two by race, not by skill.
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