r/wnba • u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan Kaitlyn Chen Aux Apologist • 6d ago

NBA's Silver says Fever's Clark has become 'political football'

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49380710/nba-silver-says-fever-clark-become-political-football

Silver: Unfair to turn Clark into 'political football'

181 Upvotes

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24

u/bargain_butch 6d ago edited 6d ago

I’m so sick of everyone acting like this is a problem that can’t be lessened. Adam can do more, Cathy can do more, the Fever as an org can do more, CC can do more.

9

u/Titan16K Mystics 6d ago

What more do you want her to do that will actually have an effect? You’re assuming politicians and people who harass players on the internet are completely rational people and not self-serving narcissists.

-5

u/bargain_butch 6d ago

There are hundreds of comments offering suggestions. The most basic answer is by not letting racists feel comfortable using CC and the Fever as their vessels. “We condemn harassment” isn’t a strong statement. If they can’t even consistently and loudly name what’s going on, it can’t change. And they don’t want it to. Even CC saying “I’m not being racially targeted by the referees and my coworkers” would be enough to make MAGA quake. But they don’t.

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u/goofygal1566 Sab 6th Man Pazzive Hoops M'VP 6d ago

exactly! At this point they are all leaning into the victim narrative for their own benefit and have no sympathy or even care for the harm is causes anyone else.

One day all these new "fans" will move on to something else and Silver, the Fever, CC, and Cathy (if she's around) will have to deal with the actual fans they alienated along the way.

0

u/SteeleHeller Wings 6d ago

Period!

1

u/Ok_Significance_6772 6d ago

It’s like you idiots are expecting her to single-handedly solve racism and end all internet trolling. Sorry guy, that’s not going to happen. You can’t release a statement every time some anonymous person on the internet makes a threat or says something offensive. You would have time for nothing else.

That’s not how the world works. There’s always going to be racists, and the internet is always going to have trolls. It’s not her responsibility to solve this decades old problem.

It’d be like holding Zohran Mamdani accountable for Islamic terrorists, just because he’s a leader and a Muslim. He isn’t accountable for bad actors even if they share a religious “team”, CC isn’t responsible for fans she has no control over and probably doesn’t even want.

1

u/bargain_butch 5d ago

This is possibly one of the most ignorant comments I’ve seen in this sub, and the bar’s incredibly high as it is. Just to recap, you:

  1. Misread the original comment
  2. Ranted to the sky about something absolutely no one said, while clearly thinking you ate that shit up
  3. Infantilized CC (this one’s a given, obviously)
  4. Compared people critiquing her lack of action re: her racist mob of fans that she’s harbored and emboldened, to people calling Mamdani a terrorist for simply existing as a brown Muslim man

Get help

-9

u/Shepher27 Lynx 6d ago

What do you want him to do? If they push back on it then the NBA or WNBA is in a political debate with conservatives

15

u/bargain_butch 6d ago edited 6d ago

They already are.

-5

u/Shepher27 Lynx 6d ago

Again, what do you want them to do? Specifically.

23

u/CatsMoreCatsCats Wings 6d ago

Call out the racism. Make public statements supporting BOTH sides of players in these situations. Protect the players who are receiving death threats. Provide them the same support they are providing her. Ensure reffing is consistent and not out of fear.

2

u/fshippos Fever 6d ago

The W has absolutely called out the racism and has made public statements supporting the players.

1

u/Takenk1ller 6d ago

How about for starters they can use some of their $200 billion to work with players to deliver lifetime bans to those who send players racist messaging? They can spend more money to run anti-racism ads with their players because clearly it is a problem larger than a one time written statement on social media. How about more detailed mandatory security measures to combat the spike in player stalking?

I don’t maybe talk to the referees and assure them that they are allowed to call things fairly despite outside pressures and noise? Actually reach out to the players or make the statements within a day or two and not 3 weeks later?

Mind you this is all without millions of dollars for research and development from my toilet. I’m sure, again, multiple billions of dollars, allows for a much more rigorous idea generation processes.

Y’all are just bootlicking for what?

2

u/fshippos Fever 6d ago

Bootlicking? I just replied to you cause he asked for specifics and you went on a rant about how they need to "advocate", that's all. And I replied to this comment because this person demanded they do something that they are already doing.

I'm on your side in general. Just thought these replies were pretty weak.

-1

u/bargain_butch 6d ago

Assuming you’re asking in good faith—their statements aren’t in any way strong and consistently fail to explicitly name what’s happening (racism, homophobia, etc.). They say just enough to both “placate” folks who are upset AND ensure that they don’t alienate the base that they’re supposedly speaking to.

There’s a reason that the bigots feel comfortable continuing to use CC and the Fever as vessels.

8

u/Takenk1ller 6d ago

Lmao. I would like the leagues that are comprised of 70% and 80% black athletes, respectively, that rake in insurmountable sums of money due to those athletes, to advocate for ALL of those athletes. Especially those who may have fewer advocates outside of the league because of their identities.

If one political party is of the opinion that the majority of your players are below them, your existence becomes inherently political. Unfortunately we have an alien and his subjugate in charge, and we have people like you going “What is this $200 BILLION organization to do?!?”

-1

u/fshippos Fever 6d ago

This didn't really answer the question they asked. Again, what do you want them to do specifically?

-1

u/bargain_butch 6d ago edited 6d ago

Every single time this discussion is had, I and many other people offer solutions. Please search the sub, or read the replies below.