WNBA Accused Of Racism After Perplexing Decision On Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese Debuts

Angel Reese (Photos via Getty Images)
The WNBA has been accused of pulling a racist move following the preseason debuts of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.

Both rookies played their first professional basketball games this weekend, but only one of them got to play on television.

The Chicago Sky’s fixture against the Minnesota Linked was not streamed online by the league, and fans were pissed.

Plenty of them lashed out, with some suggesting that race had something to do with it.

“The WNBA is wild embarrassing. To not have Angel Reese and Kamila cordossa games on the league pass is insane. Angel Reese is one of the reasons why women’s basketball is getting so much attention but they made sure to put the white girl front and center, I’m tired of them,” one X user wrote.

The WNBA is wild embarrassing. To not have Angel Reese and Kamila cordossa games on the league pass is insane. Angel Reese is one of the reasons why women’s basketball is getting so much attention but they made sure to put the white girl front and center, I’m tired of them.

Coach Cheryl Reeve calls out WNBA for favoring Caitlin Clark in promotions

Lynx’s head coach demands a fair promotional strategy from the league.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve expressed her discontent with the WNBA’s promotional strategies, which heavily favored newcomer Caitlin Clark over other teams and players.

As the Lynx geared up for their preseason debut against the Chicago Sky, Reeve took to social media to highlight the disparity in visibility compared to Clark’s much-publicized first game with the Indiana Fever.

“ALSO in action tonight – @minnesotalynx vs @chicagosky. 7pm CST,” Reeve posted, pointing out that while the Fever’s game was streamed for free nationwide, Lynx fans would need to either attend in person or follow a play-by-play on the team’s app due to the lack of broadcast options.

This move by the WNBA to spotlight Clark, the league’s top draft pick, has sparked discussions about the balance of promotional efforts across the league.

Reeve, a stalwart of women’s basketball with four WNBA championships and two Olympic gold medals as the head coach of the USA team, expressed her concern that the league’s focus on Clark might overshadow the contributions and talents of other players and teams. “The W is more than one player,” Reeve emphasized, calling for a more inclusive approach to promoting the league.

Reeve urges the league to diversify its promotional efforts beyond just one star player

Clark’s ascent has indeed been meteoric, with the young star admitting to feeling overwhelmed by the attention. “It’s been a whirlwind…I’ve tried to do my best,” Clark shared in an interview, echoing the sage advice of WNBA legend Sue Bird to ‘take a breath’ and enjoy the moment.

As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how the WNBA balances its promotional efforts to not only capitalize on the star power of players like Clark but also honor the achievements and appeal of seasoned veterans and teams like Reeve’s Lynx.

Stream of Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky debut racks up massive 493,000 views on X after fans fumed at WNBA for failing to show game

Angel Reese recorded 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes in her debut

Angel Reese and Kamila Cardoso’s WNBA debuts were widely watched on a fan’s social media livestream after the league’s app did not broadcast the game.

The former LSU star and her South Carolina counterpart debuted as pros and teammates when the Chicago Sky took on the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night.

The WNBA’s streaming app had incorrectly listed the game as available, leading to confusion among fans. The league later clarified that only Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever debut was being streamed.

Thankfully, X user @hayheyitsalli stepped in to ensure fans can see the Chicago game.

‘Would y’all want me to try and stream the game on here??’ She wrote. ‘No promises on the quality but i can try.’

Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky debut gained over 493,000 views on a fan’s X (Twitter) livestream

 

The WNBA app mistakenly listed the game as available, causing confusion among fans

Despite her team losing, Reese had 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes in her debut

The user, who appears to be a Lynx fan, live-streamed the game from her seat at the Target Center. While the viewership varied throughout the stream, the video holds over 493,000 views at the time of this writing.

The user also posted a screenshot showing that the stream peaked at 173,381 live viewers.

‘Y’all these are some of THE WILDEST numbers WOW,’ she tweeted.

After being asked about the stream postgame, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve claimed that fans should pay @hayheyitsalli $3 per view.

‘Anybody that watched it should send three bucks to the person, I don’t even know who it is,’ Reeve said. ‘I think that what I would say is that the growth is happening so fast. It’s so accelerated. And I’ve been saying this in our own organization — that business as usual isn’t going to work anymore.

‘You’re gonna get left behind, and this is an example.’

Additionally, Reeve pointed out how she understands the broadcasts being ‘all about’ Clark’s debut.

The WNBA app only streamed Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s 76-79 loss to Dallas

Aside from Reese, former South Carolina star Kamila Cardoso also made her debut for the Sky

‘People want to see that, but they also want to see, you know, it’s not just about Caitlin,’ Reeve said. ‘This isn’t Caitlin’s fault it any way. It’s more, you know, the recognition that there’s general excitement about the WNBA in ways that we haven’t seen before. And so we have to capitalize to really ensure that this is a movement.’

Nevertheless, Reese finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. On the other hand, Cardoso had six points and four boards in 13 minutes as the Sky fell 81-92 to Minnesota.

Results aside, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon praised the rookies on their debut performances.

‘This is a learning process for all of us. And we’re going through that process in the right way,’ Weatherspoon said. ‘We got our leaders leading them, pulling them along. Keeping them confident. That’s what matters. So we’re in a great place, and they’re in a hell of a great place.’