Another day, another double standard. This time, the internet is calling out WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and unpacking how she can get away with being a villain when others, like Black basketball player Angel Reese and others, can’t. Let’s dive in.
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Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Clark dominated women’s college basketball at the University of Iowa. Widely regarded as the greatest collegiate players of all time, Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer (men’s and women’s basketball combined), has the most career three-pointers (548), and was drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever in 2024.
Last month, Clark came under fire for what some fans called “rude and nasty” behavior when she was seen on video confronting a photographer. During a game, the 23-year-old was standing by the team bench during a timeout when a cameraman seemingly came close to hitting her. She appeared shaken up, and shortly after was seen addressing him— a moment that did not sit well with one WNBA fan.
“I used to be a huge Caitlin Clark fan but it’s getting harder and harder,” one TikToker, Monte Perez, said in a clip titled, “Caitlin Clark Is Out Of Control,” of the intense moment. He described how Clark “grabs the camera and puts her hand on his chest and she points at him. She’s like, ‘You almost effing hit me.’ He’s like, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you were behind me.’”
He then went in on the basketball point guard.
“First of all, it wasn’t even that close. No one even acknowledged it but her and she’s gotta yell at the guy? He’s doing his job, something you’re not doing because you’re hurt all the time.” Local Indianapolis news station WTHR 13 reported Clark suffered a right groin injury during a July 15 game. Her recovery from said groin injury was further complicated when she later sustained the “worst sprained ankle she’s ever suffered” during rehab, plus a left bone bruise.
In mid-July, Clark had to be restrained during a game when she went off on a referee. Her frustration boiled over so bad a Fever coach had to physically hold her back.
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She continued jawing at the ref during the game and viewers claimed she dropped the f-bomb.
Clark has also engaged in heated spats with fellow players, including Angel Reese in May after Clark committed a flagrant foul on her in the third quarter.
She also argued on the court with Phoenix Mercury’s Dewanna Bonner in September. According to reports, Bonner signaled how she wanted to replay a previous call when Clark reportedly told her to keep walking to the bench.
“If this was Angel Reese the entire media would be like, ‘She’s a thug! She has an attitude problem.’ But we’ve seen this entitlement,” Perez added, before admitting she’s a “great player [but she’s] never won a ring. You didn’t win it in college and you haven’t won it yet in the pros.”
He went on to go down the list of her basketball stats before telling her to “stop with the negative body language, stop complaining to the refs, stop even when you’re not playing trying to talk trash to other players.” Perez alleged how Clark tries to bully everyone, but “when they bully her she gets all upset.”
Angel Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky, is often villainized in the media. The WNBA small forward’s competitive nature has been scrutinized by fans and sports critics alike; she would forfeit game exit interviews, called for hard fouls on players, and was even suspended from the Sky for “statements detrimental to the team.”
Some deem the difference in backlash between Reese and Clark is simply due to jealousy, misinterpretations of Clark’s on-court interactions that her trash talking isn’t negative at all, it’s just her confidence and competitiveness in motion.
Why is it that Reese, 23, is called out (oftentimes rightfully so) when she does “wrong” but when others do the same, that energy just isn’t reciprocated? I think we all know the answer.
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