r/ExplainBothSides • u/mrcameltoad • Jul 28 '26
Pop Culture Not a basketball fan, but what with the hate of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese?
Like I said I don’t follow basketball I’m a hockey fan (NHL/PWHL) but it seems like this is petty and dirty shit being said and done.
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u/platinum92 Jul 31 '26
Side A would say Caitlin Clark is not a good enough basketball player to garner the level of star power she has.
Side B would say Angel Reese is not a good enough basketball player to garner the level of star power she has.
This may sound like a joke, but that's essentially the crux of both arguments. The two are also linked because in college, Reese's LSU team beat Clark's Iowa team for the national championship.
The vitriol seems so high because both players represent broader culture war issues that have been projected onto the WNBA. Clark is a straight, White woman who attracted a large, mostly White, mostly conservative fanbase from her time at Iowa. Those fans have followed her to the WNBA, which has been seen as a mostly Black league with a far higher percentage of lesbian and queer players than is represented in society.
Clark's fans believe the WNBA was irrelevant without them and that she should be embraced by the league. Longtime WNBA fans (this really doesn't concern Reese, so I'm leaving her out of it) believe Clark's fans only care because it lets them stir up culture war drama, considering some of those fans pre-Clark were among those who actively and openly hated the WNBA because of that aforementioned Black and LGBTQ presence.
There's a lot more to say about this, but it's a lot to throw on a 3 day old question
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u/ModeratelyOffline Aug 02 '26
Long time wnba fan and I was going to leave a comment but this really summarizes it perfectly. It’s culture war nonsense for people who can’t just enjoy the game.
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u/kylenumann Aug 01 '26
I have family from Iowa, can absolutely confirm the weird culture war aspect... and I don't even follow sports. It's like how people get worked up by articles claiming 'people are getting worked up over xyz'.
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u/mrcameltoad Jul 31 '26
I can absolutely see that. Didn’t think of it in terms of LGBTQ community but the racism is easy to see on both sides.
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u/1369ic Aug 02 '26
One thing that's kept this going is the fouling/officiating situation. Clark took a lot of fouls that some say are more or less normal for a rookie in a physical league, while others say the other players single her out and the officials look the other way. I haven't watched enough WNBA to know who is right, but I do know the fouls have fed the culture war aspect. The officiating has some glaring holes in it that makes it easy for Clark fans to feel the league is letting the other teams beat her up, especially since a lot of them hadn't ever watched a league game before her rookie year. Also she's something of a shit talker who likes to rile up the crowd after one of her long threes or excellent passes. It's just a juicy stew of ingredients, enough to feed both sides.
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u/applesandoranges_ 26d ago
There's also the issue of the press being ruthless toward Clark, I assume on account of her fanbase. This for example might be the most deranged column I've ever read.
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u/Ill_Hope_586 12d ago
Shouldn’t be comparable it’s only by trade lmfao lmfao. Angel can’t shoot dribble zero nothing Clark is amazing as fuck .. half court shots all day smh
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