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As was the case for many WNBA games this year, the Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun playoff matchup on Wednesday wasn’t without controversy.
The Sun eliminated the Fever in a nervy 87-81 Game 2 win to advance to the semifinals for the sixth straight year. After a historic night that saw Fever rookie Caitlin Clark make more WNBA history, the electric Fever-Sun playoff series was nonetheless marred by online vitriol and toxic narratives which led to players being targeted and facing harassment.
Early in Wednesday’s game, Clark complained about a fan sitting courtside after the fan made a presumably offensive comment. The fan was escorted off the court but returned to his seat not long after.
Sun guard Alyssa Thomas spoke after the win about the hate and racial abuse she and her teammates received during the series and called for the league to take action. Thomas was partly referring to an incident between DiJonai Carrington and Clark in which Carrington appeared to accidentally poke Clark in the eye during Game 1, eliciting widespread frenzy on social media.
During Wednesday’s postgame presser, the WNBA promptly issued an official statement declaring that the league “will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players.”
In light of all the controversy, Sun coach Stephanie White was asked for her take on what her players have dealt with throughout the playoffs, and she gave an extremely well-articulated and thoughtful response.
“We in the media have to do a better job of not allowing trolls in social media to become the story,” White said. “I feel like we have allowed trolls in social media to frame the narrative of what the story is. And it’s unacceptable.”
Here’s the full video:
Fans applauded White for urging members of the WNBA media to do better.
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