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As women’s sports continue to break records for attendance and viewership this year, longtime fans have been observing with a mix of hope and concern.
NEW YORK — Djaniele Taylor found solace in attending WNBA games as a way to reconnect with her community after the challenges of pandemic lockdowns.
The 38-year-old from Evanston, Illinois, has been a loyal attendee of Chicago Sky games for the past three seasons, especially after witnessing the team’s victory in 2021. As a queer Black fan, she found the games to be a welcoming and secure environment.
“I was immediately drawn in and loved the inclusive atmosphere – it was very LGBTQ+-friendly, family-oriented, and diverse,” she expressed.
With the surge in popularity of the WNBA this year, Taylor noticed the price of her season tickets more than doubling since 2022. Along with the growth, she observed a slight shift in the atmosphere, with what was once a positive environment occasionally turning hostile.
As women’s sports achieve new attendance and viewership milestones, Taylor and other dedicated fans have been enjoying the progress but also feeling apprehensive. This pattern of increased visibility also brings added scrutiny, harassment, and online abuse directed at some players.
This year, recent NCAA standouts Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made their WNBA debuts for the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, respectively, gaining popularity for themselves and boosting the league’s following.
Fans are drawn to the game for their love of the sport, as always, according to Amira Rose Davis, an assistant professor at the University of Texas. However, the dynamic between players like Clark and Reese, who faced off in the 2023 NCAA championship, garners additional interest.
Despite denying any animosity between them, fan and media attention has created tensions, particularly with racial undertones stemming from their college rivalry between predominantly white Iowa and predominantly Black LSU. Davis described Clark and Reese as ‘archetypes’ influencing engagement and viewership numbers.
However, this intense spotlight has also resulted in harassment and abuse, particularly targeting players of color across the league and in the broader sports community.
“Angel and Caitlin have given us an incredible platform to discuss the differential treatment of Black and white athletes in the media,” said E.R. Fightmaster, co-host of the Jockular podcast on women’s sports and queer identity.
During a September playoff game between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever, DiJonai Carrington of the Sun shared a racial slur and threatening messages she received, while her teammate Alyssa Thomas also spoke out against the racial comments from Fever fans.
Clark has distanced herself from the toxic discourse but some believe she should do more to address the racism among Indiana Fever supporters.
As the 2024 season ended, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert condemned the harassment, stating, “There’s no place in sports for this,” and promising to address it comprehensively.
Frankie de la Cretaz, a writer on sports and queer identity, criticized the league for not adequately preparing for the harassment, given the controversies surrounding Clark and Reese in college.
The NCAA released a study in October revealing a surge in online abuse towards women’s basketball players during March Madness, with female athletes receiving three times more threats than their male counterparts. The women’s championship game even outperformed the men’s in viewership.
“While it’s exciting to witness the growing popularity and visibility, it’s concerning and disappointing to see the negative aspects that have accompanied it,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA’s vice president for women’s basketball.
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