An incident recently occurred during a Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever game involving Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Clark committed a hard foul on Reese which led to Angel going after Caitlin. She was restrained by teammates in the heated moment, and Clark was assessed a flagrant foul while Reese and Indiana's Aliyah Boston were assessed technical fouls each. Allegations later surfaced of fans at the Fever's arena making racist comments to Reese.
The WNBA and the Fever are looking into the allegations. Many people around the WNBA have begun to express concern about the Reese-Clark rivalry.
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart attended the New York Yankees game on Sunday and threw out the first pitch. Stewart also took time for a press conference and was asked about the situation. The Liberty star proceeded to explain what makes a quality rivalry in sports after being asked about "healthy rivalries", via Geoff Magliocchetti.
"Our fans are booing Vegas (Liberty and Aces have a rivalry), and when we go to Vegas we're gonna get booed," Stewart told reporters. "Similar situation to what you're gonna see here (at Yankee Stadium) today. I saw yesterday when the fans were turning their backs on (Juan) Soto. And that's the luxury of the sport. That's what sports is all about is having passionate fans behind you like we do at Liberty games."
Rivalries in the WNBA
The Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark rivalry features the potential to be among the best stories in all of sports. However, the allegations swirling around inappropriate fan behavior have made the situation feel more toxic than enticing.
It is unfortunate to say the least. Clark and Reese are two of the best players in the WNBA. They will likely have many competitive head-to-head matchups for years to come. The WNBA is hoping that those games will feature passionate fans who stick to booing their opponent as opposed to engaging in alleged inappropriate behavior.
Stewart and the Liberty's rivalry with A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces is among the best matchups in sports. The teams have consistently played at a high level over the years. Their matchups tend to produce plenty of excitement. If the Fever and Sky can follow in the Aces and Liberty's footsteps, then perhaps the rivalry can be saved.
Right now, however, there is more negativity than positivity surrounding the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark rivalry.