Louisiana State University women’s college basketball star Angel Reese has been at the center of reignited conversations about the double standards black women face in sports, in light of the final moments of Louisiana’s national championship game. LSU vs. University of Iowa.
Reese, who is black, faced backlash for making provocative gestures directed at Caitlin Clark of Iowa. One of them included the “You can’t see me” gesture, although Clark, who is white, made the same movement in a previous game.
“Black women don’t have the same freedom of expression,” said Subria Whitaker, a sports consultant and founder of the nonprofit Grow the Game, which aims to increase engagement and involvement in sports. women’s sport. “I don’t know what they’re allowed to do other than just play the game, and even then they’re held to such a higher standard.”
“People were acting like they’d never seen a sporting event in their lives, and it was a return to the same old tropes,” said Brandon Pope, anchor and reporter at CW26 Chicago and chapter president of Chicago of the National Association of Black Journalists.
“There were two competitors competing,” said Andrea Williams, head coach of the Chicago State University women’s basketball team. “You also got to see how they grew up and their great responses to adults who gave different reactions, especially on Twitter.”
LSU won the women’s college basketball national championship over Iowa 102-85. The game was the most-watched NCAA women’s basketball final on record.
