Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas on Wednesday night addressed racist commentary thrown toward WNBA players this season. The Sun All-Star singled out the Indiana Fever fan base.
The league released a statement condemning animus toward players, and both Sun and Fever coaches talked postgame about online abuse hurled at players this season, condemning hateful language, no matter its source.
Thomas, an Olympian who led the Sun over the Fever in a first-round playoff series, said she has faced hatred at a level she hadn’t seen previously in her career.
“I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like those) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” she said. “It’s unacceptable, honestly, and 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.”
Fever coach Christie Sides and Sun coach Stephanie White also called fan and online abuse “unacceptable” in their postgame news conferences.
This is the WNBA’s statement, released postgame: “The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement, as necessary.”
This isn’t the first time the Fever fan base has been chided. Atlanta Dream vice president and part owner Renee Montgomery, a WNBA All-Star and two-time champion, came down hard on a faction of the Caitlin Clark’s fan base, saying they are being “racist, sexist and violent with their words.”
More on the issue: WNBA team owner slams Clark fans as ‘being racist, sexist and violent’ with words
The season started with talk of a budding rivalry between Clark and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, with fans of each hurling invective. Neither player has accused the other of anything untoward.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert earlier this season deflected a question about racial online attacks toward players, getting her a rebuke from the players’ association.
A statement from WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson began: “Here is the answer that the Commissioner should have provided to the very clear question regarding the racism, misogyny, and harassment experienced by the Players:
“There is no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media.”
