WNBA: Attempts to diminish Angel Reese reek of desperation

How could anyone find Angel Reese so repulsive?

From the moment she entered into the national consciousness, Reese has demonstrated herself to be a young woman with character, poise and passion—the tangibles needed to succeed in the cut-throat world of sports.

It is those skills which enabled her to lead LSU to a national title in 2023, in front of one of the largest audiences to watch a women’s basketball game. She had stellar WNBA rookie season in 2024 with the Chicago Sky, setting records for rebounding and double-doubles. She has been similarly outstanding during the inaugural season of Unrivaled for Rose BC, recently named to the All-Unrivaled Second Team.

Off the court, Reese is becoming a marketing juggernaut, with endorsement deals with Reebok and Reese’s Cereal on top of her own signature McDonald’s meal, a first for a woman athlete. She also uses her multimedia platform to call attention to issues such as self esteem for women and girls, building generational wealth for Black women and addressing cyberbullying.

Yet, after all this time, some still refuse to see the good in her. The latest round of attacks have come in the form of fake quotes and manipulated images that have swirled on social media.

This past week, a Facebook account, “Elite Gridiron,” claimed Reese said WNBA players should be paid like NBA players. It turned out Reese has discussed WNBA salaries on her Unapologetically Angel podcast and in other settings, but this account failed to source where she allegedly made this specific statement.

When discussing the WNBA’s upcoming CBA negotiations on her podcast with fellow Unrivaled star and Dallas Wings player Dijonai Carrington, Reese said, “I need to get in those meetings because I’m hearing like, yeah, ‘If y’all don’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out.’” The quote was later misconstrued by trollish accounts to make it seem as if Reese was leading the call for a player’s strike. Even Yahoo! Sports ran with the quote without providing any real context. Reese took to X/Twitter to call out the lies, posting, “For someone they ‘hate’ so much, literally be having them so riled up Having to tell lies for engagement is crazyyyy work.”

If that wasn’t enough, there was a fake picture circulating online of Reese appearing with a mustache. It was a blatant attempt to make her out to be less of a woman, and in this current moment where trans people are experiencing an assault on their rights from the top down, combined with persistent anti-Black sentiment, such an attempt to diminish Reese fits a longstanding historical pattern.

As Dr. Letisha Brown, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati and an expert on issues of race and gender in sports, explained to Swish Appeal:

Transphobia and anti-Blackness/anti-Black racism often operate in tandem. Specifically, Black women have always been cast as the antithesis of ideal (white) femininity. For Black women and girls who play sports, they are often read as hyper-masculine, less feminine, and less attractive . We see this clearly in the way the media discusses Black girls and women both cis and transgender alike as hyper masculine, less worthy of protection, less soft. We see this is the lack of coverage of Black girls and women as victims of state sanctioned violence and murder. We see it in the media narratives that compare Black women to men, apes, and more. The forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama has repeatedly been called a man and/or a transgender woman. The scrutiny of Black women athletes and their bodies has been a staple of American society.

The continued hatred of Angel Reese is, without question, rooted in misogynoir, the unique experience of racism and sexism. Every bit of her being is heavily scrutinized and policed from what she says to how she dresses to how she plays the game.

Dr. Brown further shared:

The reality is that we live in a society where misogynoir is very real. Misogynoir speaks to the specific form of anti-Black misogyny experienced by Black women in social, cultural, and digital spaces. The fact that Reese as a young Black woman is unapologetically herself, a self that is vibrant, talented and seemingly “in your face” is often read in the media as “arrogance,” “ghetto,” or “hood” behavior. Patricia Hill Collins argues that “controlling images,” (think, mammy, jezebel, angry Black woman) shape perceptions of Black women and girls, and these caricatures justify the mistreatment and violence that they (we) experience.

Angel Reese is very much in the public eye as a result of NIL, and her skills on the court. This, however, comes with its own set of backlash, like in the attempt to cast her as a villain in a sports saga. The reality is, Angel Reese is a ball player, and so much more. I look forward to watching her grow and develop on and off the court.

When a society is saturated with racism and sexism at all levels, it is bound to flourish, especially in this climate where some are inclined to believe everything they read online is factual. Dr. Brown additionally noted:

I think AI, like all new technologies, is a product of the reality of the times. That means since we still live under a context of white supremacy, racism and sexism are embedded into our social institutions; those same forces shape the manufacturing of AI technologies. Being able to use AI to generate false narratives will always favor the dominant culture, meaning that racism and sexism will continue to shape the ways that Black girls and women are framed within the media: popular, mainstream, and social media.

It’s frankly tiresome to have to continue to call out this mess.

If those of legitimate stature who possess a real understanding of the game of basketball want to critique Angel Reese for her play, there is nothing wrong with that. If she says something objectively controversial warranting criticism, then criticism will be appropriate. But to repeatedly try to cut her down to size because of who she is and what she represents is purely pathetic and reeks of a desperate desire to garner attention.

If you crave attention, achieve it through hard work, dedication and with purpose. It works for Angel Reese.