Current:Home > ScamsWNBA players criticize commissioner for downplaying social media vitriol -VisionFunds
WNBA players criticize commissioner for downplaying social media vitriol
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:55:21
The WNBA players union and several players are calling out commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not taking a stronger stand against racism and hate speech many have experienced this season, especially on social media.
The issue has become more acute with the arrival of rookies Caitlin Clark, who is white and Angel Reese, who is Black – with a number of fans and commenters taking sides along racial lines.
In an interview Monday on CNBC, Engelbert was asked by host Tyler Mathisen about the "darker ... more menacing" tone of the social media discussion.
Engelbert's answer focused more on the additional visibility the two rookies have given the WNBA.
"The one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry," Engelbert said. "That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."
Women's National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Jackson criticized the commissioner for not taking on the topics of racism, misogyny and harassment more forcefully.
"This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model," Jackson said in a statement issued Tuesday night. "This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago."
Engelbert did clarify her comments in a social media post later Tuesday. "To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else," she posted on X.
Before that, however, several WNBA players voiced disappointment with the commissioner's earlier remarks.
"It's pretty clear, there's a difference between rivalries and racism," Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum said, according to ESPN.
"It's taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that's coming through to the players, and it's not OK," Aces forward Alysha Clark said. "I wish (Engelbert) would have just said that. 'It's not OK.' "
veryGood! (6646)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Californians don’t have to pass a background check every time they buy bullets, federal judge rules
- Man who killed 2 women near the Las Vegas Strip is sentenced to life in prison
- Kentucky House committee passes bill requiring moment of silence in schools
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- The Best French Pharmacy Skincare Products That Are the Crème de la Crème
- These Secrets About Harry Styles Will Have You Late Night Talking
- Texas jury recommends the death penalty for man convicted of the fatal shooting of a state trooper
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- 6 books to help young readers learn about Black history
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Taylor Swift and the Grammys: Singer could make history this weekend
- Mississippi Republican governor again calls for phasing out personal income tax in his budget plan
- Eyewitness to killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay tells jury: ‘Then I see Jay just fall’
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Musk wants Tesla investors to vote on switching the carmaker’s corporate registration to Texas
- Spiral galaxies, evidence of black holes: See 'mind-blowing' images snapped by NASA telescope
- House passes bipartisan tax bill to expand child tax credit
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Mississippi eyes quicker Medicaid coverage in pregnancy to try to reduce deaths of moms and babies
AP-NORC poll finds an uptick in positive ratings of the US economy, but it’s not boosting Biden
Parents arrested in case of social media model charged with killing boyfriend
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Michigan shooter's mom told police 'he's going to have to suffer' after school slayings
Premature birth rate rose 12% since 2014, the CDC reports. A doctor shares what to know.
Kentucky spending plan calling for more state funding of student transportation advances