When Angel Reese taunted Caitlin Clark throughout following LSU’s win over Iowa within the Nationwide Championship Recreation it sparked the stupidest sports activities outrage we’ve seen shortly. Reese, LSU’s phenom ahead, was branded as “classless” for taunting Clark, barely faraway from Clark being celebrated for doing the very same factor in opposition to Louisville.
Not solely did the incident separate who had truly been taking note of the ladies’s NCAA match from the bandwagon riders, however the hypocrisy was an enormous racial canine whistle, underscoring the totally different reactions a white participant and a black participant acquired for doing the identical factor. Clark didn’t ask for anybody to defend her, tanking the taunting on the chin throughout the sport — and on Tuesday she spoke in protection of Reese.
“Males have at all times had trash discuss. … It’s best to be capable to play with that emotion. … That is how each lady ought to proceed to play.”
Caitlin Clark mentioned if girls are held to a special commonplace than males on @OTLonESPN. pic.twitter.com/JY7MWlOuVq
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2023
Caitlin Clark on Angel Reese gestures:
“We’re all aggressive. All of us present our feelings differently. … Angel is an incredible, super participant. I’ve nothing however respect for her. I really like her sport …I do not suppose there must be any criticism for what she did. ” pic.twitter.com/KKHsvVPXKc
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) April 4, 2023
Caitlin Clark to ESPN simply now: “I do not suppose Angel must be criticized in any respect. It doesn’t matter what method it goes, she ought to by no means be criticized for what she did. I compete, she competed.
“It was a brilliant, tremendous enjoyable sport. I feel that is what is going on to convey extra folks to our sport”
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) April 4, 2023
This hits the nail on the pinnacle. Anybody who’s performed sports activities past a pee wee degree understands this. When high athletes are competing there’s trash discuss, taunting, and back-and-forths we by no means see as spectators, however the athletes themselves know what’s happening. They perceive that being nice earns you the suitable to speak shit, and that turnabout is truthful play while you’re acquired by an opponent. That doesn’t change simply because cameras catch these interactions, and it’s a part of what makes sport particular — as a result of it results in the drama and rivalries that trigger a sport to transcend a field rating and switch it right into a second.
If folks need to simply be mad to be mad, wonderful. There’s lots of people frothing on the mouth simply to be indignant over one thing, something lately — but when Clark is completely cool with what went down, then any arguments to maintain this dialog going are hole.
Two of the most effective went head-to-head. On this assembly Reese got here out on high. You finest consider Clark is dying for an opportunity to get even and taunt her proper again, and we’ll be ready to see if this goes down in 2024.
