On Monday, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight stage of the NCAA Tournament and avenged their loss from last year’s loss in the competition’s finals. The Hawkeyes guard led the way for her team, scoring 41 points, dishing 12 assists, and grabbing seven rebounds in a masterful display, per ESPN. While Clark grabbed most of the headlines, the Tigers’ Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese received vicious trolling on social media after the Tigers’ loss.
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Seeing this, former Dallas Mavericks star Chandler Parsons came to their defense on the Run It Back and called out detractors, saying,
“It’s crazy because “99% of these people that are talking s**t about these girls, have never played at this level of competition, have never competed, have never put a sport on the map like these girls are doing. I hope [the girls] are watching this because they don’t deserve that. It’s great what they are doing and it’s so much fun, so do not change.”
Parsons’ message is apt. Fans on social media can be malicious, especially towards athletes. While joking about Van Lith’s inability to guard Clark, who equaled the NCAA Tournament record with nine three-pointers, is expected, asking her to quit playing basketball, which some fans did, is unnecessary.
While Van Lith was criticized for her play, Reese was trolled heavily despite scoring 17 points and grabbing 20 rebounds (per ESPN). The Tigers superstar has been in the crosshairs since she mocked Clark in the 2023 NCAA Tournament final.
In the post-game press conference, she broke down in tears while detailing the harassment she has faced online. She said,
“I’ve been through so much, seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time,” she said… I just want them to always just know I’m still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship.”
As Reese revealed, the comments on some of her posts were despicable.
Fans are entitled to call out an athlete, but to be blatantly crass and disrespectful, especially towards two young college athletes, is unacceptable. Hopefully, Chandler Parsons’ and Angel Reese’s words can be noticed by the wider basketball fanbase, and bring about behavioral changes in these groups.
Paul Pierce’s message to Angel Reese
On Tuesday’s episode of Undisputed, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, who received his fair share of criticism and trolling during his playing days, sent a powerful message to Angel Reese following her revelation about online bullying. He said,
“When you’re on top of the sports world, things are magnified, and success is at times hard to handle. As a young athlete, as a woman in this game, things are thrown at you that you don’t expect, but that’s what comes with it… So, as she continues to handle success and gets used to it have her, understand this is what comes with it.”
Pierce added that Reese’s first experience with receiving incessant hate following a devastating loss will only make her stronger. The Celtics icon’s words may seem harsh at first, but they do come from a place of experience. Hopefully, the LSU Tigers, along with every successful athlete in the world opts to heed Pierce’s words.
