(Todd A. Smith)
In the arena and on social media, the Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese rivalry continues for all the wrong reasons, when the two of them are just competing on the basketball court as fans should expect.
But instead of appreciating the competition, many fans have used Clark as a vessel for their hatred, and Reese is often the recipient of that bigotry.
On Saturday, Clark committed a hard fall against Reese.
The former national champion at LSU took offense to Clark’s foul and attempted to confront Clark as the former Iowa Hawkeye attempted to walk away as if she had done nothing.
But in fact, Clark had done nothing when it came to competition.
She committed a hard foul, and Reese, understandably, was not feeling it.
That type of confrontation happens all the time amongst NBA players.
When it happens in the NBA, it is no big deal.
And when it happens amongst Black players, it is also no big deal.
But because Reese tried to confront Clark, many bigots had to voice their displeasure.
Some, like former NFL star Robert Griffin III, went so far as to say that Reese hates Clark, as if that would be a big deal if true.
One of the hardest things to do as a basketball player, at least in my experience, is to compete against someone you like.
Before the Detroit Pistons reached their first NBA Finals in 1988, Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson exchanged kisses on the cheek at center court before every game they played against each other.
Johnson and Thomas did so because they had a bond that reminded them of their relationships with their real brothers.
And that is how they greeted their actual brothers.
But because of that close bond, Johnson’s Lakers teammates wanted none of that lovey-dovey stuff before championship games.
Therefore, Johnson knocked Thomas out of the air with one of the hardest fouls in an era of NBA basketball filled with cheap shots.
Thomas could not believe it.
But by then, Johnson and the “Showtime” Lakers had taken hold of the young and inexperienced minds of the Bad Boy Pistons and were on their way to winning their second consecutive championship.
No one thought Johnson hated Thomas.
Fans understood and respected Johnson’s competitiveness.
They might have been close as brothers.
But the only siblings an athlete has in the field of battle are their teammates.
Likewise, the late Kobe Bryant did something similar to his Lakers teammate Pau Gasol during the 2008 Olympics when the United States battled Spain.
Even Gasol understood the psychological move.
But for some reason, so-called basketball fans do not understand competition when Indiana Fever guard Clark is involved.
Clark is trying to beat Reese, the Chicago Sky, and the other teams in the WNBA.
Likewise, Reese and players not on the Fever are trying to beat Clark and the Fever.
Some WNBA players might hate Clark and vice versa.
But who cares?
Competitors want to beat all their opponents, not become best friends with them.
I want RegalMag.com to become the most visited online magazine on the planet.
Furthermore, I want “Regal Roundtable” on the CGM-TV app to become the most popular talk show on the planet.
Other publications and talk shows are not my friends.
They are my competition, and I will do anything ethically and morally to beat them, and they probably feel the same way.
I do not hate other media organizations and journalists.
But I couldn’t care less if others hate me because I am trying to make money and make a difference, not pals.
That is the competitive nature I developed from playing team sports.
But for some reason, some people want Reese and other Black WNBA stars to lay down and let Clark beat them or take cheap shots against them when Clark “stans” would not expect the same from the former Iowa Hawkeyes star.
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN sports analyst Robert Griffin III said that he believes Reese hates Clark after she attempted to confront her nemesis after Clark committed a flagrant foul.
That comment is especially asinine from “RG3” because he was a fierce competitor at Baylor and when he first played NFL football for Washington’s franchise.
The Chicago Sky drafted Reese to help them win championships and help their bottom line.
Likewise, the Fever drafted Clark for the same thing.
No professional team has ever drafted or signed a player because they were good friends with the opposition.
That would make no sense.
What does make sense is that America has a fascination with Clark’s success for the same reason fans loved Larry Bird while hating Johnson and Thomas.
Black athletes have dominated professional basketball for generations.
Many White NBA fans of the 1970s openly admitted on camera that the NBA had too many Black players for White fans’ liking.
That is why many White fans gravitated to the Boston Celtics of the 1980s, when the Celtics of the 1960s, who won more championships, did not get much love from White fans, even those from “Beantown.”
Like Bird before her, Clark does not seek the support of racists and race-baiters.
But her dislike of racism will not stop racists from taking sides in the Reese and Clark rivalry based on race.
As much as many White people like to downplay or dismiss the idea of race when Black people talk about their experience with racism and White supremacy, many still want White people to dominate areas of life long dominated by Black people.
That is why Bird had so many fans, who would not have supported him so adamantly if he were Black.
That is why Clark has so many fans who would not have been as supportive if she were Black.
And because of the popularity of social media, it is hard for many White fans to hide their bigotry.
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