Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark met up once again over the weekend in what many consider a rivalry in the WNBA. A flagrant foul from Angel Reese onto Caitlin Clark seemed to be the only focal point of their game.
The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky 83-91 on Sunday. The WNBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner, Angel Reese, garnered 11 points with 13 rebounds. Clark scored 23 points while getting 8 rebounds and 9 assists in yesterday’s win. Yet, no one is talking about their respective performances.
Several media platforms that do not have a sports vertical talked about the foul over the weekend, and it seemed very odd. Basketball fans have seen worse fouls occur, but why has the media focused on this specific flagrant foul?
The “Controversial” Flagrant Foul
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The Chicago Sky rookie hit Clark in the head as she drove to the basket on a play. It was called a flagrant foul on Angel Reese, and Clark had to shoot two free throws.
In the post-game press conference, Reese disagreed with the flagrant call, stating that it was a basketball play. Reese also mentioned how the officiating affected the game’s final result throughout the night. Angel also said, “I guess some people have a special whistle.”
Caitlin Clark’s Reaction To The Foul
In the post-game press conference, Clark was asked about her thoughts on the foul. Clark simply stated, “What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws.’ It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”
The “It Is What It Is” sports show analyst Maurice Clarette discussed the foul. Clarette thought the foul was a bit aggressive, but it was a basketball play, just like what Reese and Clark said after the game.
He also said, “They’re going to make a story out of it. Anything that happens between those two, based on their history, is everything. Caitlin Clark is about to be the new LeBron James of female basketball. Whether they want to buy into her or not. She’s about to be the conversation around everything.”
Maurice also shared a brief story about an event he attended over the weekend. He said a room of millionaires and billionaires discussed the Fever player for over 20 minutes and were so happy to support her. The people who were in the discussion were politicians, business trustees, and plenty of powerful people in the room.
If Clark and Reese both say it’s a basketball play and don’t think anything else of it, the media should do the same thing.
The Media’s Reaction To The Flagrant Foul by Angel Reese
It was very odd to see a media platform like Deadline, which doesn’t have a sports vertical, cover the Angel Reese flagrant foul. There have been worse fouls called in basketball, like the time Ben Simmons choked out Karl Anthony-Towns or any flagrant foul that Draymond Green has done over the years. CNN even covered the foul; although they don’t cover sports that often, it’s a bit odd to see them discuss the flagrant foul.
People should be talking more about Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston’s battle of the boards. The Fever’s Aliyah Boston finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. There are more players in yesterday’s game that should be discussed more than a flagrant foul. It’s also the second time the Fever beat the Sky this season.
A 2022 tweet resurfaced over the weekend from the Aces guard Kelsey Plum. She spoke out on the WNBA’s marketing practices by saying, “I was getting preferential treatment because I was straight and white. I blocked [the WNBA] on social media. I was pissed. It’s absolutely a problem in our league. Just straight up.” That could be reflected in W’s marketing.
“It Is What It Is” discussed how the WNBA is projected to lose 50 million despite the growth in the league’s popularity. Treasure ‘Stat Baby’ Wilson and Maurice Clarette discussed how ticket pricing and how people still feel a certain way about women’s sports impact revenue.
Stat Baby also brought up the accessibility of watching the games, as a WNBA League Pass is usually needed to catch almost every game that isn’t on public cable. She also discussed how the Mystics are trying a basketball and brunch series to draw in more people to attend the games.
Hopefully, the WNBA can garner greater coverage outside of this Reese and Clark rivalry, which can draw out the nasty side of media and people on social media.
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About The Author
Justin is a writer and poet with nine years of professional experience covering sports, health topics, hip-hop events, and community matters. He’s a Richmond, Virginia native now based in Southern California. He has published two books under the pen name Jay Guevara and can be found on all social media @justinhisprime
