Women’s National Basketball Association players express anger over racism

While the popularity of the Women’s National Basketball Association has skyrocketed, for in-person games and on TV especially, over the past year this popularity has not disguised the ugly racism in targeting Black players, especially where white fans are concerned. 

Alyssa Thomas, an African American forward with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, spoke to the media about the racism that she and her fellow Black players face on social media from the Indiana Fever fans. The Sun had just completed a sweep of the Fever to advance to the semi-finals of the 2024 “W” championship playoffs. (“W” is a popular term for the WNBA.)

Thomas felt compelled to raise this issue after her teammate, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, shared a disturbing post on her Instagram account that included a racial slur and a threat of sexual assault from a Fever fan. 

Thomas told the press: “I think that in my 11-year career I never experienced the racial comments like from the Indiana Fever fan base. It’s unacceptable, and honestly there’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things.” (Associated Press, Sept. 26)

The Sun’s coach, Stephanie White, who is white, stated, “We’ve seen a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia throughout the course of our country. Sport is no exception, and it’s unacceptable to be quite honest.” 

Caitlin Clark, the white Fever guard who was just named the “W” rookie of year, stated in response to the racism: “It’s definitely upsetting.” Clark, speaking on Sept. 27 in a video shared by James Boyd of the “Athletic,” added, “Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats.” (people.com)

Clark had stated in an earlier interview during the summer that, “Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect, so people should not be using my name to push those agendas.” (Washington Post, Sept. 26)

Role of media in U.S. society

Many Black players felt disrespected throughout the 2024 season in that Caitlin Clark had been viewed as the “great white hope” of the league by receiving so much hype from the media, whether the Fever won or lost, at the cost of more seasoned Black players. 

Las Vegas Aces center and three time Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson commented on the media’s treatment of Clark’s popularity: “You can be top notch at what you are as a Black woman, but they don’t see it as marketable. Thus, hard- working Black women are ‘swept underneath the rug.”’(Associated Press, Sept. 26)

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, has been outspoken on the racism that Black players face in the W, especially from the bourgeois press. Ogwumike, who is of Nigerian descent, stated in 2023 that while the W is over 80% Black, these players don’t get the “credit” when it comes to the growing popularity of the league. 

A University of Massachusetts Amherst study on the 2020 season found that there were “on average 52 media mentions for Black players, compared to 118 for white players” based on articles posted on Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and ESPN websites. (Awful Announcing, April 12, 2023)

While the racism against Black W players did not start when Clark entered the league over the summer, it appears to have intensified, which reflects that none of these incidents happen in a vacuum. 

White alluded to the fact that Black women players are not immune from racism and gender oppression just because they are popular athletes in the public eye. They face the same forms of white supremacy that exist throughout U.S. capitalist society. And to these players’ credit, they have brought their experiences to the attention of society in general, speaking to the need for more respect and anti-racist solidarity. 

Read related articles at workers.org/2023/04/70320 and workers.org/2024/04/77806.