“Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark to Have 9.9 Million Views, That’s Remarkable”: NCAA Champions Reminisce About “Frustrating” Drama

LSU women’s basketball team made history by winning their first-ever NCAA championship on April 2, 2022, but the win was overshadowed by a viral moment involving LSU forward Angel Reese and Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Reese was criticized for taunting Clark with a hand gesture popularized by wrestler John Cena during the game’s final minute. Speaking on The Jennifer Hudson Show on May 4, the LSU stars discussed the incident and its impact on the sport.

The incident sparked a debate about racial bias in sports. But despite the controversy, Reese and her teammates are proud of the attention the moment brought to women’s basketball.

Angel Reese talks about frustrating drama 

Reese revealed that it was frustrating to have her team’s hard work overlooked due to the drama surrounding her and Clark’s trash talk moment. However, she also said that she was happy with the exposure the incident brought to women’s basketball. She said, “It was frustrating, I mean, but to see how much we’ve grown women’s basketball over the couple weeks, I mean, 9.9 million people watched the game. That’s more than the men’s, so I know like one day we’re going down in the history books, yes, so it’s bigger than me. I mean, I’m so happy that we won the championship, and I mean, I wish it was more talked about.”

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Reese expressed that winning the national championship was just as important to her as discussing the Caitlin Clarke situation. She emphasized that winning a championship requires hard work, dedication, and effort, and people often underestimate the challenges of achieving this feat. Reese said she is proud of her team’s accomplishment and recognizes that winning a championship is an incredible achievement.

LSU’s win in the NCAA women’s basketball final was a major milestone for the team, and the incident between Reese and Clark sparked a conversation about race and gender in sports. While some criticized Reese’s behavior as unsportsmanlike, others pointed out the double standard in how black and white athletes are judged in similar situations.

Teammate Alexis Morris on the importance of keeping racism out of sports

Reese’s teammate, Alexis Morris, echoed this sentiment during the interview. “First, I was like disrespectful, and then I looked at it from a different perspective,” Morris said. “Even though we’re looking at it like the world made it a race thing for a matchup like Angel Reece and Caitlin Clarke to have 9.9 million views, that’s remarkable. Like, will that ever be done? The goal is to grow women’s basketball, so it was bigger than just that moment.”

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Morris acknowledged that it took her some time to fully understand Reese and Clark’s perspective on the incident, but she ultimately recognized the significance of keeping racism out of sports. She strongly believes that racism has no place in sports and that it is essential to unite people. Morris emphasized that sports should be a place where everyone can come together, be one, and feel like a family.