OpEd: 'The standards of sportsmanship and etiquette are dictated by the very people it is meant to protect, in turn allowing goalposts to be moved and Black women to be vilified for the same actions as their white counterparts.'
, “trash-talk has been around longer than the three-point line.” Trash talk is not only a mental strategy long employed by the best athletes in the game, but also one of the most entertaining aspects of the sport. Policing the trash talk of one of the most promising young players in college basketball today is nothing but racism and misogynoir disguised as a respect for good sportsmanship.
Reese, who was crowned the NCAA’s 2023 Most Outstanding Player, said that showing up as her full self and winning the championship was “bigger” than her. And it is. Too often Black women are expected to shrink themselves, not be too proud, win humbly, and lose graciously. The standards of sportsmanship and etiquette are dictated by the very people it is meant to protect, in turn allowing goalposts to be moved and Black women to be vilified for the same actions as their white counterparts.
As seen last night, commentators grasped at straws in an attempt to differentiate Clark’s gesture in comparison to Reese’s — tying in technicalities to support their racially charged comments, stating that Reese “followed” Clark around the court for 15-20 seconds, while Clark kept her distance from Van Lith. The latter’s actions didn’t seem to constitute “taunting,” though the videos of Clark and Van Lith’s exchange show the two competitors closely crossing paths.
LaDazhia Williams, #0, and Angel Reese, #10, reacting after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship
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