Women’s college basketball continues to captivate the nation’s attention. The interest in the sport peaked over the past year, particularly as players such as Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark rose to prominence.
While it should be noted that South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley’s impressive run in Columbia, which has so far yielded a pair of national championships, helped spark the sport’s newfound popularity, stars like Reese, Clark, and USC freshman JuJu Watkins are largely credited for the unprecedented attention.
Some have even argued that women’s college basketball has surpassed the men’s game. The second round of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament wrapped on Monday, with an average of more than 800,000 viewers tuning in through the first two rounds of play. Those viewership numbers represent a 108 percent jump from last year’s ratings, according to data compiled by the Sports Business Journal.
Earlier this month, Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer across men’s and women’s basketball, and she continues to shatter virtually every college basketball record. She propelled the Iowa Hawkeyes to another great regular season and is widely viewed as the greatest women’s college basketball player in history.
Iowa and LSU each won their separate games Saturday’s Sweet 16 against Colorado and UCLA respectively on March 30, setting up the two teams for an intriguing Elite Eight rematch of their 2023 NCAA championship game.
Clark has raked in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals and has brought an unprecedented amount of attention to Iowa City.
But, amid her success on and off the basketball court, it appears that some forget Reese led the LSU Tigers team in the victory over Iowa in last year’s national title game held on April 2. Reese was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player last season, and also received unanimous All-America honors.
Edging out Clark and the Hawkeyes in the championship game took Reese, also known as the “Bayou Barbie,” to new heights. She now boasts 2.7 million Instagram followers and has inked endorsement deals with fast-food chain Raising Cane’s and technology Caktus AI, just to name a few.
Angel Reese’s On-Court Behavior Receives Harsh Criticism
But, Reese’s rise to stardom did not come without controversy. In the fourth quarter of last season’s championship game between LSU and Iowa, Reese was seen waving her hand in front of her face. The move appeared to be an ode to wrestler John Cena who popularized the gesture and catchphrase “You Can’t See Me.”
Reese looked in Clark’s direction as she pointed toward her ring finger to symbolize the championship ring LSU would soon receive.
Angel Reese trash talking and taunting Caitlin Clark👀👑🏆🔥🦾 Ring me 💍😂😂😂 #SetItOff #NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP #LSU pic.twitter.com/t076qKPamj
— HarrietEve9 (@HarrietEve9) April 2, 2023
Some took issue with Reese’s actions, with some arguing the sharp criticism of Reese appeared to stem from her race and gender.
“I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in the box y’all want me to be in. ‘I’m too hood.’ ‘I’m too ghetto,’ Yall told me that all year, but when other people do it ya’ll don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me,” Reese said in the press conference following LSU’s win.
Former sports and political broadcaster and current podcaster Kieth Olbermann took to social media at the time and did not hesitate to label Reese an “idiot.” Other social media users asserted Reese’s gesture was “classless.”
It is important to note that the backlash Reese received seemingly failed to take into account that Clark did something eerily similar during Iowa’s win over Louisville in last year’s tournament. But it appears marketing executives and major corporations were quicker to embrace Clark, a Caucasian women from Des Moines, Iowa, but are more cautious when it comes to Reese.
The Black community certainly celebrates Reese, as she became a cultural icon, but middle America was not quite on board. Reese’s comments on her refusal to abide by certain “narratives” speaks to the double standard black athletes tend to face — even the ones who are among the best in their respective sport.
Reese also faced criticism during this current NCAA tournament on March 24. She was accused of taunting Anastasiia Boldyreva, a player from Middle Tennessee, by waving goodbye after Boldyreva fouled out of the game.
Did I just watch Angel Reese flop, get a person fouled out, and start laughing and waving?
— Kirk’s Evil Twin (@tory4heisman) March 24, 2024
Cailtin Clark’s Seven-Figure Big3 Offer
Hip-hop artist, actor, film producer, and Big3 co-founder Ice Cube recently raised eyebrows when he extended an “historic offer” to Clark in an attempt to convince her to join the popular 3-on-3 league.
“But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3,” Cube wrote on X.
TMZ initially reported that the Big3’s offer was a whopping $5 million. Cube did not refute the number when he appeared on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday.
A $5 million figure would be significantly higher than any base salary Clark could garner in the WNBA. The league’s 12 teams’ salaries are capped at an estimated $1,463,200 per team entering this season, according to data from Spotrac. No women currently play in the Big3 basketball league.
While Cube is accurate in his assessment that Clark is a “generational athlete,” the criticism of Cube’s offer to Clark appears to be less about who is less more talented and more about who could stand to be viewed as America’s best female college player.
So if Clark has been asked to play in the Big3, the question remains whether Reese, Watkins or other black college athletes have received a similar offer.
Reese, Watkins and Other Black Female Athletes Deserve Recognition
It can certainly be argued that Clark’s background has created somewhat of a built-in level of privilege that Reese and other black players do not benefit from. However, the aforementioned Watkins appears to be taking advantage of the path that Reese has forged.
The 18-year-old has broken nearly every University of Southern California women’s basketball record this season and has helped bring the Trojans’ program back to life. Watkins has averaged 27 points per game this season, second in the nation behind Clark’s 31.7 average. (Reese’s season average of 18.7 points per game ranks 45th in the nation.)
USC’s resurgent season has attracted a long list of superstar athletes and Hollywood stars, from LeBron James to Kevin Hart. Reese’s success on the court and her decision to be an unapologetic Black woman has likely given up-and-coming black athletes a leg up.
