Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty / Angel Reese / Alyssa Thomas
White legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas said the quiet but undeniable thing out loud regarding the coverage of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
The WNBA was looking forward to a fantastic year thanks to its exciting rookie class led by players Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cordosa, and Cameron Brink. Instead, since the 2024 season tipped off, there have been waves of toxic conversations and awful takes.
People, specifically men, have looked very weird after Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter’s hard foul/cheap shot on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark over the weekend.
Since Clark’s arrival into the WNBA, many believe she has been the victim of hard fouls and, while not benefiting from any whistles.
Speaking with CNN’s Abby Phillip, Bob Costas accurately pointed out that energy for Clark following the hard fouls she receives has yet to be seen for Angel Reese, and it’s because of the obvious fact that she is a Black woman and the incidents are “Black on Black.”
Costas was referring to an incident in particular: Connecticut Suns player Alyssa Thomas grabbed Reese by the neck, slamming her to the court, resulting in a flagrant two foul and her ejection from the game.
Per TMZ Sports:
“The reason why that doesn’t spark as much conversation isn’t just that Caitlin Clark is a bigger star than Alyssa Thomas,” Costas said on CNN on Monday. “It’s because it’s a Black on Black incident and you don’t have that dynamic that people can comment on, yes, but also exaggerate and make the entire story sometimes.”
Costas further pointed out that he’s seen other rookies receive the same treatment Clark is experiencing in other sports, but the caveat is Clark is a white superstar in a predominately Black sport.
Former ESPN First Take moderator and Sportscenter anchor Cari Champion echoed Costas’ sentiments, adding that nobody cared about the women of the W getting physical with each other because it was only “women of a certain color.”
Since Clark arrived in the WNBA, the discourse on sports media has been out of control. It was so bad that Monica McNutt checked Stephen A. Smith about his WNBA coverage, or lack thereof, on the show.
You can see more reactions to Bob Costas’s statement about what we already knew in the gallery below.