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I was drawn to an article published by Forbes titled “How Angel Reese And A’ja Wilson Lead The WNBA’s Growth.” There’s nothing wrong with this title or this angle for a piece, or with most of the content in the article itself (more on that later).
Timeka Tounsel spent the first part of her article talking about how Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has helped set viewership and attendance records for the WNBA, and how former UConn star Paige Bueckers figures to bring a lot of popularity from college with her to the pro level.
That all checks.
INDIANAPOLIS – Timeka Tounsel wrote about how Angel Reese (No. 5) and Caitlin Clark (No. 22) have helped grow the WNBA’s popularity. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The next part discussed how Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has grown awareness for the league as well. Reese has 4.8 million Instagram followers (the most of any player in the league) and 5.5 million more on TikTok.
Read: Caitlin Clark Let The Race Bullies Win | Bobby Burack
Reese has also earned big sponsorship deals with McDonald’s and even has her own cereal brand.
OK, fine.
Tounsel continued and said that Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson was just as important to the league’s growth. She highlighted Wilson’s bestselling book she wrote in 2024 – Dear Black Girls: How to be True to You – and how she signed a major shoe shoe deal.
Great. Good stuff.
The final section focused on how the “Unrivaled” league brought more fans to the league as well.
Hard to argue.
This seems to be an open-and-shut case, with nothing nefarious about it. But Tounsel’s ambiguous yet suggestive word choices at several points in the article show she was trying to push a tired narrative about the WNBA.
The Article Has Many Subtle Hints That Tounsel Was Pushing The Same Tired Narrative About The WNBA
First, look at the title of the piece: “How Angel Reese And A’ja Wilson Lead The WNBA’s Growth.” That sets the tone for the direction of Tounsel’s article. If she had said “help lead,” that would be fine. But that’s not what she chose – purposefully.
Just after highlighting what Clark has done to highlight the league (in record-setting fashion) she pivots with this paragraph:
“In the WNBA’s new era of visibility, some of the best brands grow in more than one space. The WNBA also reported record high engagement via its app and social media platforms, a space where stars like Reese dominate,” Tounsel wrote. Then she transitions to Reese’s gaudy social media following.
Again, highlighting how Reese has brought visibility to the league through social media isn’t bad. But her word choice indicates that she is praising Reese at the expense of Clark.
The kicker is a line from the following paragraph in which she discusses the impact of the “Unrivaled” league, which reads:
“Black women ballers bridged on-court excitement with off-court charisma, proving that Black girl magic is still good for business.”
Wait, come again? Black girl magic?
With just three words, Tounsel makes this article lose all its validity.
If this were simply an article about how WNBA players are making waves through social media presence, it would be perfectly fine and frankly interesting. But the fact that Tounsel focuses exclusively on black players after just 2-3 paragraphs on Clark and Bueckers is quite telling.
Again, that last phrase at the end of her article is what drives this home. Was there anyone who was saying “Black girl magic” – translated: “black superstars” – was bad for business? Was anyone insinuating that Reese and the other black stars have done nothing to grow the league?
The answer is, of course not. That’s never been the conversation.
Read: Despicable Race-Baiters At USA Today Got It All Wrong: Women’s Basketball Was Built By ALL Women
So why did Tounsel make this argument in the first place? Well, her byline says she’s a professor who covers “black representation.” Now this all makes sense.
But at a deeper level, it continues to show that WNBA writers will re-frame any narrative and adjust any standard to make it seem like Black players are being forgotten every time a white player gets highlighted.
Getting butts and elbows in seats and eyes on TVs is what keeps the league alive. Clark dominates in the more visible areas, but there are clearly other players who are carrying the load as well.
It doesn’t matter what their skin color is, any exposure is good for the league. Only losers like Tounsel worry about the melanin count of the people working for it.
