It took exactly one match day for the WNBA to evolve into something beyond just quality basketball. That flagrant foul in the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game would have been just another foul if not for the two players involved. Caitlin Clark went after Angel Reese and she went down immediately before getting in the face of Caitlin, even hurling abuses at her from the bench.
That controversy has become so much more than just a foul since then. It has accelerated into a much bigger issue, with some fans accusing the Indiana crowd of making inappropriate comments at Angel Reese. This led to the league starting an investigation on this but the issue was never this big to start off. This national reporter has pinpointed the issue that led to this issue being blown completely out of proportion.
Seerat Sohi said on the WNBA:Ringer Show, “Anyone online looking for attention, from former football stars to aggregators to everyday users in search of dopamine, is going to get off on this story and find a way to make it about everything that has nothing to do with basketball. Websites like Athlon and Marca post inflammatory headlines that the articles themselves sometimes even refute, but you’d have to click that to know.” Sohi’s point highlights how media outlets amplify divisive narratives, like framing the foul as a personal feud or exaggerating unverified fan allegations, which risks overshadowing Clark and Reese’s efforts to promote respect in the WNBA.
Such sensitive issues are something people use to push their own agendas and become more popular. The modern world is tied to how many views and likes you can bring and these issues certainly give you that. So people will make a thing something that it is not for the sake of it and people don’t take the time to research anything themselves before forming an opinion. This gullibility is exploited by the media, who are also searching for those views and clicks. The fact as of right now is there is no substantial proof until the WNBA finishes its investigation and finds something.
Players from both sides welcome the investigation and agree that racism has no place in the game. “There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society,” Clark told reporters. “We want every person that comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience. I appreciate the league doing that. I appreciate that the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that since Day 1, and what they’re doing.
Reese carried the same sentiment as she said, “They understand that this is the priority,” she said. “There’s no place for this. … Obviously, the women in this league, they know that and know there’s no space for that. I believe that every player in this league deserves to be treated with respect and wants to come to work and have fun and have a great environment to work at.”
So, if there is any sign of the crowd being what they are accused of, both sides want the strictest consequences. Despite this, the media is busy pushing their own narratives on whatever they want. And it’s not even completely their fault. The people want gossip. The media companies try to deliver on what their readers want to read rather than what actually happened. While media organizations have a responsibility to uphold journalistic standards, the audience also plays a role. Consumer behavior drives editorial decisions—if controversy sells, it is what gets produced.
Since then, as a side effect of all the media frenzy, we have had people starting petitions to move the playoffs from Indiana because it is allegedly not a safe place to go to. We have had people calling for the arrest of CC, whose crime is apparently helping Dave Portnoy earn $350,000 on her triple-double. Every claim, without any proof. That chaos was further fueled by Angel Reese, whose reposts on TikTok further spiraled the fans.
Angel Reese’s TikTok activity adds fuel to the fire
Up to this point, it was mostly just chatter on social media. Speculation, fan narratives, and fragmented opinions dominated the conversation. But now the situation has taken on a new layer of credibility, thanks to Angel Reese herself. While she has publicly stated that she does not hate Clark, her activity on TikTok tells a more complicated story. The posts she has chosen to engage with suggest lingering tension, and whether intentional or not, they add fuel to a rivalry that both fans and the media are eager to dissect.
May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to a flagrant foul from Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-IndyStar via Imagn Images
At a critical moment in their rivalry, where there are a lot of stories in the media, she has reposted a couple of TikToks that further complicated the situation. In one TikTok, which she reposted, the user claimed that it could no longer be classified as a “rivalry” between Reese and Clark.
“The situation at hand is that when Angel Reese walks into the Indiana Fever arena, she is no longer safe. She is not safe because there are some Indiana Fever fans who are racist, who will treat her like she is not a human being, who will hurl slurs and threats her way, and that is not OK. That’s not a thing that happens in sports—it is not OK,” the user said.
In another TikTok, which she reposted, the original video contained a screenshot of a tweet that had the caption “White girl running away from the fade” above a photo of Clark walking away from an angry Angel Reese.
Is she implying that she was, in fact, harassed in Indiana? We don’t know; her public statements show no accusations of any kind. But these reposted TikToks have intensified fan speculation without directly accusing anyone.
In past interviews, like in September 2024, she clarified that she doesn’t hold Clark responsible for fan behavior, saying, “I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it, and I don’t believe [Clark] stands on any of that.” Reese said.
We will get to know more about what the WNBA investigation results in. The rivalry is definitely not over, as these two teams are set to face off four more times this season.
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