The WNBA issued a statement Wednesday night condemning racist abuse by fans following complaints from players and coaches during the Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun playoff series.
“The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world,” read the statement. “While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement as necessary.”
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, Suns coach Stephanie White and Fever coach Christie Sides addressed their concerns about the abuse and online “trolls” after Indiana’s season-ending 87-81 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday night in Uncasville, Conn.
“It’s unacceptable, honestly,” Thomas said during her postgame interview. “There’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media.
“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names. I mean, we already see what’s happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect. And we come to play basketball for our job and it’s fun, but we don’t want to go to work every day and have social media blown up over things like that. It’s uncalled for. Something needs to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking, there’s no time for it anymore.”
White said the league must do “a better job” of dealing with the situation.
“We’ve seen a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia throughout the course of our country,” White said. “Sport is no exception, and it’s unacceptable. The thing that frustrates me the most is that we — I say we because I work in television as well — what we in the media have to do a better job of (is) not allowing trolls and social media to become the story. I feel like we have allowed trolls in social media to frame the narrative of what the story is. We have to do a better job. I applaud our team for maintaining their professionalism.”
Sides called the personal attacks “hurtful” and “hateful.”
“It’s a lot of hurtful, hateful speech out there that’s happening, and it’s unacceptable,” Sides said. “When it gets personal to me, there’s no reason for it. These guys have to listen and watch — social media is their life. That’s just what they do. And they have to read and see these things constantly, and just all the stories that are made up of what people see or think they see. It is just not acceptable when it gets personal.”
–Field Level Media