The WNBA Has Always Been Tough. It's The Men Who Can't Stop Crying

Women’s sports have started to gain the modicum of popularity they deserve. But with those viewership numbers , high-profile brand deals and equal pay settlements has also come a (sadly) to-be-expected amount of sexist criticism directed at the athletes — and at WNBA athletes in particular.

Over the weekend, Chicago Sky teammates Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter became the latest to draw the ire of pearl-clutching hoops fans after the pair went toe-to-toe with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.

Carter committed an off-the-ball foul against Clark , shouldering her to the ground prior to an inbound pass — a move that later earned her an elevated flagrant-1 violation after Saturday’s 71-70 Fever victory. When asked about the foul after the game, Carter simply responded: “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

Reese responded to Carter’s foul by leaping off the bench and cheering , then eventually greeting her teammate with a celebratory smile and one-armed embrace. Reese — who maintained a well-documented on-the-court NCAA rivalry with Clark — was later fined for deciding not to appear for a post-game interview.

Viewers, perhaps many of whom were new to women’s basketball, were quick to condemn both Carter and Reese online while simultaneously voicing concern for Clark and her wellbeing.

“The cheap shots on Caitlin Clark are an embarrassment for the WNBA,” Jake Asman, a sports broadcaster and media personality, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter . “Clark is the only reason I’m even watching a WNBA game right now. What a joke.”

The real joke is the idea that these women athletes should be viewed as delicate flowers in need of rescuing by their growing fanbase — and not as fierce competitors with natural