 |
| Angel Reese Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 18 |
By Alberta Parish
Amazing how all of a sudden Jason Whitlock, Shannon Sharpe and others in the mainstream media have now changed their tune regarding Angel Reese and the true impact she is having on the WNBA not only a dominant scorer but also one of the greatest defensive players in the game today.
Angel Reese, an NCAA champion from LSU, has been having a monster season with her new team, the Atlanta Dream after having spent two seasons in Chicago where she also dominated putting up multiple double-double games with the Sky organization even in the midst of constant criticism from the Chicago media and social media, many of whom hated Reese due to the famous ring finger gesture she gave her college rival Caitlin Clark after she and LSU clinched the 2023 national title.
As an Atlanta native, I am truly proud of her, and her very presence in this city brings a sense of pride, considering the many failures by our local government officials, many of whom have aligned themselves with the policies of the President.
I was there from the very beginning of the social media narratives that were endlessly against Angel Reese not only in her final year with LSU but also after she entered the WNBA. Clark vs. Reese was constant social media fodder, which always painted Reese in a negative light and Clark in a positive one.
As ESPN commentators & sports analysts like Stephen A. Smith and others repetitively leaned into the social media narratives that seemed to drive the headlines a lot more back then, I remember the false narratives that permeated the league, and engulfed players that never even made headline news.
But as time reveals all things, people are now drawing comparisons, and they're seeing the truth not only of Reese's game but also Caitlin Clark's. One player dominates the league in scoring and defensive plays whenever the referees aren't throwing games, and the other who seems to have lost her shooting touch spends time stat padding during games where she also puts up poor defensive performances on a nightly basis while throwing temper tantrums at officials, her coach Stephanie White, and teammates.
Caitlin Clark's on-court antics have become legendary, as there are countless viral moments that highlights her petty and poor attitude displayed on a routinely basis.
Angel Reese, who is no stranger to viral moments, was traded by the Chicago Sky before the start of the 2026 season. Jeff Pagliocca, the Chicago Sky's General Manager, fired one-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon before the start of the 2025 season, and hired Tyler Marsh who was an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. The Chicago media further made matters worse with the hit pieces against Reese, whom the team also blamed for locker room issues. But what beat writers like Annie Costabile and others didn't say was Reese did not believe the way the team was constructed that they'd be actual championship contenders anytime soon. She wanted a better constructed roster to give the Sky a better chance at competing for a championship.
Reese's brand has become bigger than Caitlin Clark's not only due to Reese's dominance on the court but also due to her winning performances, personality, and leadership both on and off the court. But die-hard fans of Clark, some of whom are also content creators, will never tell you the truth, not only about Reese's game but also Clark's waning popularity, and lack of dominance on the court. Not only has Indiana Fever ticket sales dipped but Clark's having trouble selling out home games since the start of this season. Clark, who is tauted as the needle mover, is having problems selling out arenas! Now, that is a narrative many Clark fans and supporters won't write or talk about. That is the real story. Caitlin Clark is failing to sell out arenas due to waning popularity!
The machine put their money behind Clark's ability to not only sell out arenas but also keep the money rolling in through television advertisements, ratings, social media, and mainstream headlines. But if the public sees consistently a petulant, spoiled athlete who doesn't dominate the game through her play but consistently whines to officials and berates them, what long-term impact will this have on the product? People ultimately wants to see a winner. A'ja Wilson winning championships is the brand. Breanna Stewart winning championships is the best marketing strategy for her brand.
The WNBA and Cathy Engelbert knows Angel Reese has become bigger than the league. But they don't want to see another A'ja Wilson as the face of the league because they have been put all their investments behind ensuring Caitlin Clark becomes the new face of the league. The problem is Caitlin's not a winner like Wilson, Reese, Stewart, or Sabrina Ionescu. She has failed to live up to the hype of a number one overall draft pick.
Clark, who is the NCAA all-time leading scorer for the University of Iowa, has failed to dominate the league. Meanwhile, Angel Reese, whom critics like Jason Whitlock have repeatedly said was failing to make layups and is the worst player in the league, are now switching sides to praise Reese after her dominant win against the Indiana Fever Thursday night on prime time. And it just looks disingenuous at this point. It reeks of him having gotten the memo by the bosses because perhaps, they're seeing the value in Reese. Perhaps, it could be financially beneficial for him in some way to support Reese while moving away from the Caitlin Clark brand. But stay over there on that side, Jason! Reese doesn't need you now, and neither does her brand. Neither does Clark care about any of you! Stay over there on that side because we all know that's where you want to be.
Clark's fanbase has increased your pockets, and made you a household name. A lot of Reese's fans waited for you, Jason, to speak the truth. You blew so many opportunities to speak the truth about the real Angel Reese being a dominant player in the league but you chose the Caitlin Clark fans' narratives. You chose to relinquish your integrity for the fake narratives coming from Clark's fanbase. Many of them don't really know women's basketball, as they've never watched the WNBA prior to Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark content creators are not even taken seriously anymore. In fact, players and coaches around the league are quietly purging them from their spaces.
Scott Agness, a long-time independent Fever/Pacers beat writer, had his press credentials revoked by the team on May 21. Other beat writers like Annie Costabile and James Boyd who cover the Fever are employed by the Athletic. But Agness was an independent journalist. I won't be surprised if the league starts to go after accounts/channels who report malicious and blatantly false information like many Caitlin Clark content creators.
No comments:
Post a Comment