The Double-Edged Sword of Popularity: The Rising Visibility and Backlash in Women’s Sports
Attending WNBA games in Chicago was eye opening for Djaniele Taylor, who used it to help rediscover community post pandemic lockdowns. Evanston resident 38-year-old has been a Chicago Sky fan for the last three seasons after seeing the team win their historic 2021 championship. As a queer Black woman, she felt welcomed and safe and also supported in the games, and the games were family oriented and diverse. Taylor says that after a while he was hooked and loved the atmosphere, ‘it was very queer friendly.’
But Taylor saw a change as the WNBA’s popularity skyrocketed this year. Whereas her season tickets have ballooned in cost more than two times what they cost last year, she also saw a ‘darker vibe’ in the air. At times, it did feel more and more like a hostile and more exclusive environment than once it had been. This phenomenon mirrors a larger trend seen across women’s sports. Increased visibility usually leads to increased scrutiny and harassment.
The WNBA, like other women’s sports, has enjoyed a big surge in viewers and attention since former college stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese debuted in the WNBA this season. Although it has been the skill setting of the athletes, fans are as gripped by the Clark and Reese rivalry, which was kicked off by their clash in the 2023 NCAA championship game. Iowa (where Clark played) is a predominately white school and LSU (Reese’s team) is a predominately Black school which has further helped fuel the narratives around race in media attention enraging anyone who watches it regardless of race.
As a result of its increased spotlight search engines and multiple online harassment resources have found gamers of color specifically. Both the Indiana Fever’s DiJonai Carrington, and the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas were subjected to racial slurs and death threats. League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the abuse has no place in the WNBA and she knew that her league had to tackle it in numerous ways.
But critics like writer Frankie de la Cretaz, for instance, point out that the league should have been prepared for what was happening in the sport with its ongoing racial dynamics.
The accompanying online abuse, particularly racist and sexist harassment, though, continues to be a serious problem as women’s sports crush records in viewership. Further, the WNBA isn’t the only sport with discrimination toward female athletes the same challenges extend to the Olympics and college athletics. There isn’t a way to celebrate the rise of women’s sports without acknowledging the harsh realities of how women athletes are still treated differently today, says Cheryl Cooky, a professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
