Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark, along with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, has had an unprecedented effect on the WNBA since joining the league in the 2024 draft. The arrival of the young stars has led to record numbers for the league’s attendance and television viewership, which is leading to rapid expansion, as the league is set to have 18 teams by 2030, up from 12 when the pair joined the league in 2024.
Unfortunately, the popularity is leading to a lot of hate online, which former First Lady Michelle Obama recently weighed in on.
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world,” Obama said, via Awful Announcing.
“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged.
“So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
Fans reacted to the former First Lady on social media.
“From someone who has sown the most hate and division this country has ever seen,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“I’m sure this will be as nuanced and well-thought out as anything else Michael has said. Another vacuous progressive who can’t think beyond identity,” one person added.
“Why is anyone asking Big Mike her opinion on anything? She/he is just another person, with zero quals in anything. She isnt famous for anything,” someone else wrote.
Hopefully, the hate directed at the young stars comes to an end soon.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.