May 29, 2025 • 20 mins
Does racism fan behavior exist in the WNBA? Hosts Ramses Ja and Q Ward tackle this question on today's podcast.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is the Black Information Network Daily podcast, and I'm
your host, Ramsey's Jaw. And sometimes the amount of stories
that make their way to us means that we simply
can't cover everything that comes our way. But from time
to time, a story just stays with me and Bill
compelled to share it with you and give you my thoughts.
And now one more thing. I comically and famously have
(00:29):
been the one lacking when it comes to sports knowledge
and you know, involvement and interest in athletics in general.
But I think that like most folks, I can appreciate
the athleticism, So I'm down to watch a highlight reel,
you know whatever. I appreciate all that, but in terms
(00:50):
of like being really involved in sports, like most people are,
understanding stats and all that sort of stuff, It's not
a real thing for me. And I'm very much the minority.
Most people, especially most men, most guys, they really know
a lot about sports, and it's something that really kind
of fuels and drives culture and conversations, how people meet
and how they bond and share stories and fellowship, and
(01:13):
it really does matter a lot to a lot of people,
and it's something I've always missed out on in my life,
especially after high school, because music took over my life
and sports was never that big of a deal. Now
Q was once upon a time almost that is, but
I think it stays with you forever. But Q is
(01:34):
the athlete in my world, I'll say it that way,
and so Q is always kind of breaking some things
down to me. Now, I like most people have been
paying more attention to the w NBA because of recent
developments in the league, and where most people might have
been paying attention because of an athlete being super skilled
(02:00):
or whatever, my interest had to do more with the
racial implications of the athlete being introduced to the league
among I guess her peer group also of excellent athletes, right,
something like that. And this kind of got ratcheted up
(02:23):
in the high gear because you know, Q and I
we famously work closely with the Sun's organization in Phoenix, Arizona,
and we DJ at the stadium and I actually was
asked to come and DJ a couple of Mercury games,
and the Mercury is the women's w the w NBA
team in Phoenix, Arizona, and I'm like, hey, that might
be fun. I'll go check it out. But prior to
(02:43):
that I'd never been to a w NBA game, and
now I've been to two because I was the DJ
there and I came across the story from this might
have been a couple of days ago, and this is
on timsy. He says, no evidence of racist fan behavior
at Reese versus Clark game, and that felt like something
(03:08):
worth diving into. Now. I don't know if you want
to paint this picture, Q, or do you want me
to go into the article article first? Okay, let's do
the article. So for those that are like me and
not intimately familiar with the goings on in the WNBA,
I will share again from TMZ. The WNBA said it's
found no evidence fans were spewing racist hate toward Angel
(03:29):
Reese or anyone else during Chicago's game against Caitlin Clark's
Fever earlier this month. The league launched a probe after
social media accounts alleged Reese and some of her teammates
were on the receiving end of some disturbing trash talk
during the Skies May seventeenth matchup against the Fever at
Gainbridge Field House. But in a statement released Tuesday afternoon,
(03:50):
the w says it's investigators have yet to find anything
that corroborates this report quote. Based on information gathered to date,
including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well
as audio and video review of the game, we have
not substantiated it unquote. This is according to the league. Nonetheless,
Reese clearly supported the investigation, as during a May twentieth
meeting with reporters, she said there was no place in
(04:13):
the game for behavior like that, for the behavior that
was alleged. Sorry, she added that she was thankful the
WNBA and her team were looking into everything, and this
is the last little bit here. For the Fevers part,
it was clearly happy with the league's findings, writing in
a statement Tuesday, quote, reappreciate the swift and thorough process
undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which were
(04:34):
not substantiated at Gamebridge Fieldhouse. We are committed to providing
the best possible basketball experience for players and fans where
hate speech has absolutely no place. This according to the team,
and the last little bit, Indiana's home to the world's
greatest fans, and we look forward to an exciting season
of Fever basketball. So the reason that this stood out
(04:56):
to me is because this this word racist has been
really part and parcel to this particular development in the WNBA.
As as far as I know, I remember when the
(05:17):
WNBA first became a thing. It was first like kind
of rolled out right. This might have been I couldn't
tell you how long ago it was, but it feels
like recent enough memory, so late nineties, early two thousands
is what I'm thinking. I couldn't I can't be for certain,
but I remember there was such a big deal, and
there were all these athletes and they were all different races, right,
(05:39):
and it felt like kind of the normal NBA, right
where basketball is just the game that they're playing. They're
not going to be racist fans in the NBA, and
there's not racist espe certainly not in the WNBA. Right.
That makes that sounds crazy, So you wouldn't even think
about racism and WNBA in the same sentence, in the
same context. But as soon as these two athletes made
(06:02):
their way into the WNBA, that word racism and racist
and all that sort of stuff started swirling around, And
I always wondered, what is the deal with the WNBA,
the fans, or these athletes in particular, that is causing
this to happen. So if you have any context for me,
(06:24):
perhaps our listeners will warned.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was a really really interesting thing that happened with
the WNBA a couple of years ago. Angel Reese and
Kaitlyn Clark. We're two of the best players in women's
college basketball. Most could argue they were the two best
players in women's college basketball. And like in every very
(06:49):
very historic rivalry, were one person or one side is
black and the other side is white, you don't have
to inject race and race into it. It's built in.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, let me ask you a question, please, because you
would know better than me, not because I'm trying to
imply anything. Was this the case with like Larry Bird
and Maggic Johnson?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Absolutely was it? Absolutely, and not because either of the
people involved were racist. It's just you get to be
the avatar for people that are. And salute to Larry
Bird and salute to Caitlin Clark, even though she was
a bit slow to speak out against it. I think
(07:35):
she was just trying to steer clear of the chaos
that comes with today's United States and dipping your toe
into politics or race or anything in this where now
politics and race are this are intertwined? Right if you're
if you're racist, you support the Maga Republican Party, well,
(07:59):
I mean yeah, fair without fail, all the racist people,
all the racist people do that. Now, one would argue
not not all of the Mega Party is racist. It's
a flimsy argument, but it could be made. But the
other side is true, all racists are maga uh And
it's so it's a it's an interesting time that it's
(08:21):
hard to avoid that part of the conversation. So what
happened is Angel Reese is a confident, beautiful, talented, outspoken,
authentic black woman, queen champion. Caitlyn Clark might be one
(08:47):
of the best women's basketball players you'll ever see, and
she's Middle America white. So she became the avatar a
lot of people for a lot of people that would
love to see this confident, outspoken, flamboyant, talented champion black women.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Put in her place. I see.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
So, So Caitlyn Clark didn't bring no stands with her, No, no, no,
they beat her there. They saw that she was on
her way and they beat her there. So around the
league last year, especially when these two played each other,
some of the worst that our country has to offer.
Showed up because they made Caitlyn Clark their avatar, not
(09:33):
because she asked for it, not because she supported and
eventually she stood up and spoke out against it. I
think originally she was a rookie, she was just trying
to get her footing, and she didn't feel it was
her place to speak.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Up or out.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Against these people that she didn't agree with, that she
didn't know, that she didn't ask for. But I think
as she became a little bit more seasoned and started
to look around, she noticed that I'm playing this game
that was built on the back of black women women
and a lot of black queer women, A lot of
black women are that are a part of the LGBTQ
(10:08):
community that have to deal with everything that comes with that.
You know, you and I were speaking on the show
recently about people trying to talk about the choice that
they made, as if they would make the choice to
be the most scrutinized, judge, ridiculed, oppressed.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah, as if they.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Would choose that these women are being who they are,
and those who look to oppress people that are different
from them, stoke religious fear and damnation and everything against
these women, to make them evil, to make them the
bad guy, to make them the bad women, to make
them lesser than or other, or whatever you want to do.
(10:49):
So this is like the perfect storm for those people.
Again where Angel Reese is a champion. Angel Reese was
the national champion the year that her and Caitlyn Clark
came out, but Katelan Clark was the one that got
the signature shoe deal.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I heard about that. What I'm saying that was part
of the racist Do we have that conversation? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I mean, like I said, race plays it, race will
plan to it automatically. And some you know, white women
athletes are acknowledging that, saying out loud that yeah, this
was built on the back of black women and they
deserve their props, they deserve that shine and they and
they point out and acknowledge. Yeah, I do get a
(11:36):
little bit more light because I'm white. And even if
it's just a little bit, I love that they acknowledge it.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, that little bit, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
And this headline was interesting because in all caps, no
evidence of racist fan behavior, but they're talking about this
one game and their investigation doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
But even if it didn't in this one game, a
lot of people will take this headline and this investigation
to say, see, it doesn't cover for See, it's your imagination. See,
(12:09):
you guys are race baiting and playing the victim.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
See.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So it becomes a very, very complicated conversation to try
to have because some of us are showing up, even
those of us that have been fans, Like my favorite
athlete is my niece Crystal, an All American, All Michigan,
All Detroit basketball player who went to school on a
full scholarship to play college basketball and the best athlete
in my family's history, if you ask me so, I've
(12:35):
been plugged into women's basketball since I was a kid,
and even I showed up to this party clumsily. None
of us really followed the w enough, None of us
followed women's college basketball enough to be seasoned and informed
enough to cover this sport the way it should be.
Right in this most recent headline with them, Andrewis gets
(12:55):
shoved to the ground by Caitlyn Clark aggressively and in
a way that anybody would respond to the way that
she did. And it wasn't dirty. It was a hard file,
but it's the type of foule we see in men's
basketball every game, and the game keeps going.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
There's no.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Psychoanalysis breakdown of the two people involved, Like, no, somebody
pushes you to the ground, Yeah, and you reacted to
getting pushed to the ground as normal. If I shoved
you out of your chair right now, you will react
because it's just a normal thing to do. So with them,
it turned into a speak piece on how Angel Rees
actually hates Caitlin Clark and you can tell by the
(13:36):
way she got off the ground. Well, no, she got
shoved to the ground and she got up because she
was mad. And then they kept playing basketball. And only
with these two, and I guess only in women's sports
is the requirement or the expectation that they be best
friends and lovey dovey and hold hands and like, no,
they're competitors playing against each other. They're both trying to
(13:56):
win and they both can't win. And if it gets
physical when somebody gets shoved to the ground, yeah, they're
going to get upset about it, like any other human
being in the world. So it's been an interesting thing
to watch, but so many of us, and I say us,
meaning men are showing up to this thing so underinformed
and clumsy. You know, they, together Angel Reese and Kaitlyn Clark,
(14:19):
have brought a lot of additional attention to their game.
And it's just like when you and I spoke about juneteenths.
We want all these people to come participate with us,
and then when they get it wrong, we didn't want
to kick them out. So we just were asking for
that grace collectively. Because all the attention that they brought
up to a bunch of people showing up they don't
really know how to do it yet, and there's a
(14:41):
backlash there and it's like, no, you want this attention,
you want this coverage. Then they can demand higher salaries
and they can get greater exposure, and they can make
more comfortable livings for themselves, because it's famously known that
a lot of these women have to go play in
other countries just to make a fraction of what not
even the best men players make, Like the worst men's
(15:02):
player that makes a roster will make more than most
of their entire league, even the best of the best
of them from basketball, and some of them get endorsements
and all kind of partnerships and that kind of helps
off the court money. But from basketball, there's still a
lot of room for growth for our women players. So
you know, I hope that two of them continue to thrive,
(15:22):
but I won't pretend that this narrative is going to
go away anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
You want to hear something funny, man, I remember there
was when the w NBA first came out. There was
a guy from he has a sister's Indiana Pacers. I
want to say, he has a sister? Do you know
what I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Reggie and Cheryl Miller, Cheryl Miller and Cheryl is the
truth right dot com, dot org, dot u.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
For slash dot TV, backslash cymcal So. Cheryl Miller was
the big name. And there was another name of a
lady that played basketball, and she was like a white lady,
I think. And those are only two names that I know.
(16:17):
I didn't know either of their names. You helped me
with Cheryl Miller. But there was another lady and I
want to say, like somewhat an l maybe she was white.
I think. I don't know, but in any of it,
at the.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Top of my head, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoops, Cynthia Cooper,
Lisa Leslie are names that stand out to me.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
It sounds like a but I feel like it was like.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Diana Tarassi, Rebecca Lobo, Rebecca Lobo Lobo.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
I was thinking Lisa Lobo, so I got the names
mixed up. Okay, Rebecca Lobo is a white lady right now?
Was she playing at the same time as Cheryl Miller?
Do you think she's younger than Sheryl? But she was
the first one in the NBA or the w NBA maybe,
or the first big name or is there other big names?
Goes to show you what I know. I don't know anyway,
(17:09):
I remember there was white people and black people in
the w NBA, and so you know, again, the point
I'm making here is that this always felt very strange
that this particular class is that the right word, this
this year's worth of freshmen or whatever freshman classmen or
(17:31):
whatever has this term associated with him so closely, And
I think that you're right when you pointed out that,
you know, when it's framed in the context of the
political climate of the country where there's kind of an
all American I'm guessing Midwest white woman against a bold, strong,
(17:55):
champion black woman from Baltimore, Maryland. Be more. Okay, it is,
this is clear talk to me.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
And then went to l s U and then by you.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Okay you said she was by you, Barbie. I remember that. Okay,
So so this is the same girl. Okay, get it,
the same woman. Sorry, I understand now. So so yeah,
that makes a lot more sense, and I, like always
I appreciate you giving me some additional context because you know,
(18:22):
my thinking is, you know, you know, I mean we're
both like super like girl power, you know, go get
them you you especially you know you have a little girl.
I'm just kind of my daughter's studio to day. Yeah,
yeah she is. I'm from the sidelines of cheering on.
But you know you actually live in it, right and
you know, wrunning a world where you know, women have
(18:43):
as much of an equitable goal at you know, pursuing
their goals, dreams, whatever, as as men do. So to
hear this sort of stuff associated with the w NBA
when that's the furthest league, like that's the this thing
from your mind when you think of like race because normally,
(19:03):
I mean not always, but you don't associate that type
of sentiment and those type of feelings with women. That's
more of like an aggressive, often white male type of
energy where it's like divisive and hateful. You don't really
think of like racism and female friendly spaces in the
same way. I know it's possible, but you just for me,
(19:24):
it was like tough to kind of keep coming across
this word, like yoah, what is where's this coming from?
So I appreciate your breaking it down and we'll leave
it right there. Of course, if you have anything to
add to the conversation, I can always learn, and I'm
sure you can learn too, but you know, absolutely, you
know it's a lot more than I do. But or
if you want to, you know, just kind of let
your voice be known. You can do so using the
(19:45):
red microphone talk back feature on the iHeartRadio app or
you can hit me on all social media at rams's job.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I am q Ward on all social media as well, and.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Until we hear from you, please. This has been a
production of the Black Information Network. Today's show is produced
by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio Appum
while you're there, be sure to hit subscribing. Download all
of our episodes, I'm your host ramses job on all
social media. Join us tomorrow as we share our news
(20:12):
with our voice from our perspective right here on the
Black Information Network Daily Podcast
This is the Black Information Network Daily podcast, and I'm
your host, Ramsey's Jaw. And sometimes the amount of stories
that make their way to us means that we simply
can't cover everything that comes our way. But from time
to time, a story just stays with me and Bill
compelled to share it with you and give you my thoughts.
And now one more thing. I comically and famously have
(00:29):
been the one lacking when it comes to sports knowledge
and you know, involvement and interest in athletics in general.
But I think that like most folks, I can appreciate
the athleticism, So I'm down to watch a highlight reel,
you know whatever. I appreciate all that, but in terms
(00:50):
of like being really involved in sports, like most people are,
understanding stats and all that sort of stuff, It's not
a real thing for me. And I'm very much the minority.
Most people, especially most men, most guys, they really know
a lot about sports, and it's something that really kind
of fuels and drives culture and conversations, how people meet
and how they bond and share stories and fellowship, and
(01:13):
it really does matter a lot to a lot of people,
and it's something I've always missed out on in my life,
especially after high school, because music took over my life
and sports was never that big of a deal. Now
Q was once upon a time almost that is, but
I think it stays with you forever. But Q is
(01:34):
the athlete in my world, I'll say it that way,
and so Q is always kind of breaking some things
down to me. Now, I like most people have been
paying more attention to the w NBA because of recent
developments in the league, and where most people might have
been paying attention because of an athlete being super skilled
(02:00):
or whatever, my interest had to do more with the
racial implications of the athlete being introduced to the league
among I guess her peer group also of excellent athletes, right,
something like that. And this kind of got ratcheted up
(02:23):
in the high gear because you know, Q and I
we famously work closely with the Sun's organization in Phoenix, Arizona,
and we DJ at the stadium and I actually was
asked to come and DJ a couple of Mercury games,
and the Mercury is the women's w the w NBA
team in Phoenix, Arizona, and I'm like, hey, that might
be fun. I'll go check it out. But prior to
(02:43):
that I'd never been to a w NBA game, and
now I've been to two because I was the DJ
there and I came across the story from this might
have been a couple of days ago, and this is
on timsy. He says, no evidence of racist fan behavior
at Reese versus Clark game, and that felt like something
(03:08):
worth diving into. Now. I don't know if you want
to paint this picture, Q, or do you want me
to go into the article article first? Okay, let's do
the article. So for those that are like me and
not intimately familiar with the goings on in the WNBA,
I will share again from TMZ. The WNBA said it's
found no evidence fans were spewing racist hate toward Angel
(03:29):
Reese or anyone else during Chicago's game against Caitlin Clark's
Fever earlier this month. The league launched a probe after
social media accounts alleged Reese and some of her teammates
were on the receiving end of some disturbing trash talk
during the Skies May seventeenth matchup against the Fever at
Gainbridge Field House. But in a statement released Tuesday afternoon,
(03:50):
the w says it's investigators have yet to find anything
that corroborates this report quote. Based on information gathered to date,
including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well
as audio and video review of the game, we have
not substantiated it unquote. This is according to the league. Nonetheless,
Reese clearly supported the investigation, as during a May twentieth
meeting with reporters, she said there was no place in
(04:13):
the game for behavior like that, for the behavior that
was alleged. Sorry, she added that she was thankful the
WNBA and her team were looking into everything, and this
is the last little bit here. For the Fevers part,
it was clearly happy with the league's findings, writing in
a statement Tuesday, quote, reappreciate the swift and thorough process
undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which were
(04:34):
not substantiated at Gamebridge Fieldhouse. We are committed to providing
the best possible basketball experience for players and fans where
hate speech has absolutely no place. This according to the team,
and the last little bit, Indiana's home to the world's
greatest fans, and we look forward to an exciting season
of Fever basketball. So the reason that this stood out
(04:56):
to me is because this this word racist has been
really part and parcel to this particular development in the WNBA.
As as far as I know, I remember when the
(05:17):
WNBA first became a thing. It was first like kind
of rolled out right. This might have been I couldn't
tell you how long ago it was, but it feels
like recent enough memory, so late nineties, early two thousands
is what I'm thinking. I couldn't I can't be for certain,
but I remember there was such a big deal, and
there were all these athletes and they were all different races, right,
(05:39):
and it felt like kind of the normal NBA, right
where basketball is just the game that they're playing. They're
not going to be racist fans in the NBA, and
there's not racist espe certainly not in the WNBA. Right.
That makes that sounds crazy, So you wouldn't even think
about racism and WNBA in the same sentence, in the
same context. But as soon as these two athletes made
(06:02):
their way into the WNBA, that word racism and racist
and all that sort of stuff started swirling around, And
I always wondered, what is the deal with the WNBA,
the fans, or these athletes in particular, that is causing
this to happen. So if you have any context for me,
(06:24):
perhaps our listeners will warned.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was a really really interesting thing that happened with
the WNBA a couple of years ago. Angel Reese and
Kaitlyn Clark. We're two of the best players in women's
college basketball. Most could argue they were the two best
players in women's college basketball. And like in every very
(06:49):
very historic rivalry, were one person or one side is
black and the other side is white, you don't have
to inject race and race into it. It's built in.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, let me ask you a question, please, because you
would know better than me, not because I'm trying to
imply anything. Was this the case with like Larry Bird
and Maggic Johnson?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Absolutely was it? Absolutely, and not because either of the
people involved were racist. It's just you get to be
the avatar for people that are. And salute to Larry
Bird and salute to Caitlin Clark, even though she was
a bit slow to speak out against it. I think
(07:35):
she was just trying to steer clear of the chaos
that comes with today's United States and dipping your toe
into politics or race or anything in this where now
politics and race are this are intertwined? Right if you're
if you're racist, you support the Maga Republican Party, well,
(07:59):
I mean yeah, fair without fail, all the racist people,
all the racist people do that. Now, one would argue
not not all of the Mega Party is racist. It's
a flimsy argument, but it could be made. But the
other side is true, all racists are maga uh And
it's so it's a it's an interesting time that it's
(08:21):
hard to avoid that part of the conversation. So what
happened is Angel Reese is a confident, beautiful, talented, outspoken,
authentic black woman, queen champion. Caitlyn Clark might be one
(08:47):
of the best women's basketball players you'll ever see, and
she's Middle America white. So she became the avatar a
lot of people for a lot of people that would
love to see this confident, outspoken, flamboyant, talented champion black women.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Put in her place. I see.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
So, So Caitlyn Clark didn't bring no stands with her, No, no, no,
they beat her there. They saw that she was on
her way and they beat her there. So around the
league last year, especially when these two played each other,
some of the worst that our country has to offer.
Showed up because they made Caitlyn Clark their avatar, not
(09:33):
because she asked for it, not because she supported and
eventually she stood up and spoke out against it. I
think originally she was a rookie, she was just trying
to get her footing, and she didn't feel it was
her place to speak.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Up or out.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Against these people that she didn't agree with, that she
didn't know, that she didn't ask for. But I think
as she became a little bit more seasoned and started
to look around, she noticed that I'm playing this game
that was built on the back of black women women
and a lot of black queer women, A lot of
black women are that are a part of the LGBTQ
(10:08):
community that have to deal with everything that comes with that.
You know, you and I were speaking on the show
recently about people trying to talk about the choice that
they made, as if they would make the choice to
be the most scrutinized, judge, ridiculed, oppressed.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah, as if they.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Would choose that these women are being who they are,
and those who look to oppress people that are different
from them, stoke religious fear and damnation and everything against
these women, to make them evil, to make them the
bad guy, to make them the bad women, to make
them lesser than or other, or whatever you want to do.
(10:49):
So this is like the perfect storm for those people.
Again where Angel Reese is a champion. Angel Reese was
the national champion the year that her and Caitlyn Clark
came out, but Katelan Clark was the one that got
the signature shoe deal.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I heard about that. What I'm saying that was part
of the racist Do we have that conversation? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I mean, like I said, race plays it, race will
plan to it automatically. And some you know, white women
athletes are acknowledging that, saying out loud that yeah, this
was built on the back of black women and they
deserve their props, they deserve that shine and they and
they point out and acknowledge. Yeah, I do get a
(11:36):
little bit more light because I'm white. And even if
it's just a little bit, I love that they acknowledge it.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, that little bit, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
And this headline was interesting because in all caps, no
evidence of racist fan behavior, but they're talking about this
one game and their investigation doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
But even if it didn't in this one game, a
lot of people will take this headline and this investigation
to say, see, it doesn't cover for See, it's your imagination. See,
(12:09):
you guys are race baiting and playing the victim.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
See.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So it becomes a very, very complicated conversation to try
to have because some of us are showing up, even
those of us that have been fans, Like my favorite
athlete is my niece Crystal, an All American, All Michigan,
All Detroit basketball player who went to school on a
full scholarship to play college basketball and the best athlete
in my family's history, if you ask me so, I've
(12:35):
been plugged into women's basketball since I was a kid,
and even I showed up to this party clumsily. None
of us really followed the w enough, None of us
followed women's college basketball enough to be seasoned and informed
enough to cover this sport the way it should be.
Right in this most recent headline with them, Andrewis gets
(12:55):
shoved to the ground by Caitlyn Clark aggressively and in
a way that anybody would respond to the way that
she did. And it wasn't dirty. It was a hard file,
but it's the type of foule we see in men's
basketball every game, and the game keeps going.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
There's no.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Psychoanalysis breakdown of the two people involved, Like, no, somebody
pushes you to the ground, Yeah, and you reacted to
getting pushed to the ground as normal. If I shoved
you out of your chair right now, you will react
because it's just a normal thing to do. So with them,
it turned into a speak piece on how Angel Rees
actually hates Caitlin Clark and you can tell by the
(13:36):
way she got off the ground. Well, no, she got
shoved to the ground and she got up because she
was mad. And then they kept playing basketball. And only
with these two, and I guess only in women's sports
is the requirement or the expectation that they be best
friends and lovey dovey and hold hands and like, no,
they're competitors playing against each other. They're both trying to
(13:56):
win and they both can't win. And if it gets
physical when somebody gets shoved to the ground, yeah, they're
going to get upset about it, like any other human
being in the world. So it's been an interesting thing
to watch, but so many of us, and I say us,
meaning men are showing up to this thing so underinformed
and clumsy. You know, they, together Angel Reese and Kaitlyn Clark,
(14:19):
have brought a lot of additional attention to their game.
And it's just like when you and I spoke about juneteenths.
We want all these people to come participate with us,
and then when they get it wrong, we didn't want
to kick them out. So we just were asking for
that grace collectively. Because all the attention that they brought
up to a bunch of people showing up they don't
really know how to do it yet, and there's a
(14:41):
backlash there and it's like, no, you want this attention,
you want this coverage. Then they can demand higher salaries
and they can get greater exposure, and they can make
more comfortable livings for themselves, because it's famously known that
a lot of these women have to go play in
other countries just to make a fraction of what not
even the best men players make, Like the worst men's
(15:02):
player that makes a roster will make more than most
of their entire league, even the best of the best
of them from basketball, and some of them get endorsements
and all kind of partnerships and that kind of helps
off the court money. But from basketball, there's still a
lot of room for growth for our women players. So
you know, I hope that two of them continue to thrive,
(15:22):
but I won't pretend that this narrative is going to
go away anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
You want to hear something funny, man, I remember there
was when the w NBA first came out. There was
a guy from he has a sister's Indiana Pacers. I
want to say, he has a sister? Do you know
what I'm talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Reggie and Cheryl Miller, Cheryl Miller and Cheryl is the
truth right dot com, dot org, dot u.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
For slash dot TV, backslash cymcal So. Cheryl Miller was
the big name. And there was another name of a
lady that played basketball, and she was like a white lady,
I think. And those are only two names that I know.
(16:17):
I didn't know either of their names. You helped me
with Cheryl Miller. But there was another lady and I
want to say, like somewhat an l maybe she was white.
I think. I don't know, but in any of it,
at the.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Top of my head, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoops, Cynthia Cooper,
Lisa Leslie are names that stand out to me.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
It sounds like a but I feel like it was like.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Diana Tarassi, Rebecca Lobo, Rebecca Lobo Lobo.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
I was thinking Lisa Lobo, so I got the names
mixed up. Okay, Rebecca Lobo is a white lady right now?
Was she playing at the same time as Cheryl Miller?
Do you think she's younger than Sheryl? But she was
the first one in the NBA or the w NBA maybe,
or the first big name or is there other big names?
Goes to show you what I know. I don't know anyway,
(17:09):
I remember there was white people and black people in
the w NBA, and so you know, again, the point
I'm making here is that this always felt very strange
that this particular class is that the right word, this
this year's worth of freshmen or whatever freshman classmen or
(17:31):
whatever has this term associated with him so closely, And
I think that you're right when you pointed out that,
you know, when it's framed in the context of the
political climate of the country where there's kind of an
all American I'm guessing Midwest white woman against a bold, strong,
(17:55):
champion black woman from Baltimore, Maryland. Be more. Okay, it is,
this is clear talk to me.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
And then went to l s U and then by you.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Okay you said she was by you, Barbie. I remember that. Okay,
So so this is the same girl. Okay, get it,
the same woman. Sorry, I understand now. So so yeah,
that makes a lot more sense, and I, like always
I appreciate you giving me some additional context because you know,
(18:22):
my thinking is, you know, you know, I mean we're
both like super like girl power, you know, go get
them you you especially you know you have a little girl.
I'm just kind of my daughter's studio to day. Yeah,
yeah she is. I'm from the sidelines of cheering on.
But you know you actually live in it, right and
you know, wrunning a world where you know, women have
(18:43):
as much of an equitable goal at you know, pursuing
their goals, dreams, whatever, as as men do. So to
hear this sort of stuff associated with the w NBA
when that's the furthest league, like that's the this thing
from your mind when you think of like race because normally,
(19:03):
I mean not always, but you don't associate that type
of sentiment and those type of feelings with women. That's
more of like an aggressive, often white male type of
energy where it's like divisive and hateful. You don't really
think of like racism and female friendly spaces in the
same way. I know it's possible, but you just for me,
(19:24):
it was like tough to kind of keep coming across
this word, like yoah, what is where's this coming from?
So I appreciate your breaking it down and we'll leave
it right there. Of course, if you have anything to
add to the conversation, I can always learn, and I'm
sure you can learn too, but you know, absolutely, you
know it's a lot more than I do. But or
if you want to, you know, just kind of let
your voice be known. You can do so using the
(19:45):
red microphone talk back feature on the iHeartRadio app or
you can hit me on all social media at rams's job.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I am q Ward on all social media as well, and.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Until we hear from you, please. This has been a
production of the Black Information Network. Today's show is produced
by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio Appum
while you're there, be sure to hit subscribing. Download all
of our episodes, I'm your host ramses job on all
social media. Join us tomorrow as we share our news
(20:12):
with our voice from our perspective right here on the
Black Information Network Daily Podcast
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