The Women’s National Basketball Association of the United States (WNBA) is having a historic season. Since its creation in 1996, the first division of this league has never sold so many tickets for its games nor had so many television audiences. The media spotlight in recent weeks, however, has not focused on this success, but on the wave of racist attacks in which many players have become victims.
On Instagram profiles and other platforms of athletes—mostly black and members of the LGTBI community—hateful comments, insults or even threats against them are increasing, some think this is a response to the growing popularity of the women’s league. The attacks reached a tipping point in late September, during the playoff games between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever. Before the second meeting, the guard of the Connecticut team, DiJonai Carrington, shared on his Instagram account an anonymous email that he received with insults and clear threats of death and sexual assault.
The day after the game, the WNBA released an official statement condemning the hateful comments received by several athletes, such as Carrington. He did not make further statements about the threats, but guard Caitlin Clark — young star of the Indiana Fever, white and one of the main reasons for understanding the rise of competition this year — and his coach, Christie Sides, who did criticized the “racist rhetoric” in which the players were martyred. Clark, the winner of the WNBA rookie of the year award, said those insulting “are not fans, but trolls “They hurt the league.”
Attacks on female players are not unique to American sports. Although the national culture has a saying that it should be an apolitical space, it often becomes another battlefield of polarization. It is worth remembering how, in 2019, the soccer players of the national team became the target of former President Donald Trump and his followers because of their criticism of the president and the anti-LGTBI policies of the Republican Party, or if transgender athletes like swimmer Lia Si Tomas have been victims of other hate campaigns.
Unlike ostracism where male athletes are often condemned when they have a political position (as in the case of NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the national anthem to condemn racism), those sports women have greater solidarity with players. After Carrington’s threats, players and former players from other teams came to his defense. Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White said she “has never seen anything like this in her entire career.” “We see a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia in our country and sport is no exception,” he criticized. In a recent report, The Athletic He pointed out that the harassment of WNBA players has damaged their mental health. “Some have taken steps such as deactivating their social media accounts or limiting their participation in press events,” the piece read. The WNBA wants to show an atmosphere of normality to continue the successful season, without yet announcing concrete measures to protect the players.