When star prospects like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were set to become professionals this year, the W.N.B.A. said it was ready.
The league beefed up its marketing efforts, and its television partners devoted more time to covering the sport. They all hoped to capitalize on momentum from the collegiate tournament as women’s basketball inched closer to the round-the-clock coverage devoted to other major sports.
The W.N.B.A.’s ratings did soar, but the additional attention also magnified intense conversations on television shows, podcasts and social media. Pundits passionately clashed with colleagues, players described racism they had experienced, and the players’ union openly rebuked the league’s commissioner.
Here are some of the most memorable moments of media dialogue during this W.N.B.A. season, which entered the playoffs this week.
Physical Play
During her record-breaking career at the University of Iowa, Clark, who is white, was often heralded as the future face of the W.N.B.A., a league where about 70 percent of players are Black. After the Indiana Fever drafted her first overall, she certainly became the center of attention.
In one notable on-court encounter, the Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter shoulder-shoved Clark to the floor. Carter, who was later charged with a flagrant foul and declined to answer questions about the encounter after the game, later took a swipe at Clark on social media.
On the popular ESPN debate show “First Take,” the commentator Stephen A. Smith said that some W.N.B.A. players might be jealous of Clark’s popularity and that they should leverage her fame to collectively uplift the league instead of retaliating against her.
Monica McNutt, an ESPN basketball analyst, responded that she thought Carter’s foul was not indicative of the entire league’s feelings toward Clark. In a conversation that lasted about 40 minutes, McNutt said she felt that discussions about the W.N.B.A. lacked nuance. The segment ended with McNutt accusing Smith of not consistently covering the league.
“Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to,” McNutt said.
Olympic Debate
The United States’ decision to pass over Clark when it selected the Olympic basketball team was perfect fodder for sports talk shows.
On “First Take,” the analysts Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter said Clark was not yet deserving of a roster spot in place of more experienced players. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, a former professional football player, countered that Clark’s stardom would generate more fan interest and revenue. (The U.S. women went on to win gold.)
Smith then told Carter she should adopt the same approach to her television job.
“I am telling you right now, you are going to be underpaid for the rest of what I believe will be an illustrious career unless you get your mind right about that marketing,” he said. “It matters.”
Carter responded: “I hear you, Stephen A., but I will not sacrifice my basketball knowledge and my integrity in terms of the game for marketing. My marketing is doing just fine.”
Online Harassment
With many more eyes on the W.N.B.A. this season — 22 regular-season games, most of them featuring Clark, averaged more than one million viewers — some players talked openly about online harassment they had experienced.
Aliyah Boston of the Fever said negative comments from fans had led her to delete her social media from her phone. Reese, who became a lightning rod after taunting Clark in the closing seconds of last year’s N.C.A.A. national championship game, said in a podcast that she had been followed home by strangers and that doctored nude photos of her had been sent to family members. Reese, who plays for the Sky, has also repeatedly been called a “thug” online.
When Cathy Engelbert, the W.N.B.A. commissioner, was asked on CNBC about vitriolic discourse involving race and sexuality, she advised players to stay off social media but did not outright condemn racism.
After receiving backlash from players and Terri Jackson, the executive director of the W.N.B.A. players’ union, Engelbert clarified in a statement that “there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the W.N.B.A.” Jackson said in a statement that “fandom should lift up the game, not tear down the very people who bring it to life.”
Vocal Legends
Retired players have also waded into debate.
Sheryl Swoopes, the first female basketball player to have a signature shoe, notably did not mention Clark during a podcast when she was discussing the Fever’s improved play after the Olympic break. Lisa Leslie, a three-time winner of the league’s Most Valuable Player Award, then said on social media that Clark and Reese were both deserving of the Rookie of the Year Award. (Clark was announced the unanimous winner.)
Shortly after her post started spreading widely, Leslie responded to say that the discourse builds up the game.
“This is what it’s all about!” she said. “You guys are watching, supporting, debating.”
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