Peddling the idea that Angel Reese is “not the villain” in the ongoing saga between Reese and archrival Caitlin Clark is a tough sell. Especially the day after a WNBA investigation concluded that the racial taunts Reese claimed fans directed at her the last time she faced Clark, never happened.
Yet, that’s exactly what Jemele Hill is selling.
Speaking about the rivalry that has grown only more heated since Clark’s flagrant foul on Reese nearly led to a physical altercation, Hill opined on her YouTube channel that it’s Reese’s “very existence” that irks some people.
“This is ultimately a conversation about cultural competency,” Hill said. “Angel Reese’s very existence rubs a lot of people the wrong way. No one knows for sure how she feels about Caitlin Clark, but what we do know from Angel Reese’s own public comments is that she feels a way that she isn’t given more credit for how she also has added to the popularity of women’s basketball in this moment.”
Hill also claimed that “confident” black athletes are viewed differently.
“If Black athletes are confident, they’re considered cocky and arrogant. If they speak their mind, they’re considered troublemakers or ungrateful – same tropes, different day,” Hill explained.
The former ESPN host then pleaded for fans to tone down the scrutiny of the Clark-Reese rivalry and appreciate the WNBA season.
“In sports, we love drama. We love the idea of athletes having to go through something. … We also love fiery competitors and athletes who talk their sh*t and back it up. But when it comes to women, or more specifically, these two women, we are struggling to see them as just two highly competitive athletes who often are in a position of having to compete for the same things,” Hill said. “For some reason, when it comes to Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, we simply refuse to view their competitiveness through that same lens. Maybe they hate each other, maybe they don’t. But I want us to graduate to a point where whether or not they like each other is utterly irrelevant.
“Angel Reese is not the villain in Caitlin Clark’s story, no more than Caitlin Clark is the savior in hers. Every interaction between them is not a think piece. If there are hard fouls, rough language, and things get spicy, so be it. If you have no problem when male athletes compete hard against one another or expose their pettiness, do us all a favor and apply that same energy so we can actually enjoy this WNBA season.”
It’s unclear how Angel Reese’s very existence troubles fans. Her existence seems far less of an issue than the words that come out of her mouth. Specifically, the words she spoke to reporters in an interview last week, in which she went into depth about the racist abuse she suffered at the hands of fans in Indiana, abuse that we now know never happened.
Or, last year, when she claimed that the skyrocketing WNBA ratings were “because of me, too” and “not just one person.” Even though the numbers clearly showed Caitlin Clark was driving viewership. In any event, plenty of people view Angel Reese as a villain, but it’s merely because she exists.