The longstanding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry has now reached its peak as it pertains to those speaking on the matter. Since their 2023 national championship matchup won by Reese and her LSU Tigers teammates over Clark and her Iowa Hawkeye teammates everyone has had their own personal opinion on the dynamic of their relationship.
The latest to speak on the matter is former first lady Michelle Obama, and the always well-spoken Obama didn’t sugarcoat what she sees and how it’s played out. During a recent appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, the Harvard Law School and Princeton undergrad mentioned how social media definitely plays a role in the vitriol of the rivalry.
Obama Shares Her Feelings On WNBA All-Stars’ Budding Rivalry
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it, but that’s true across the board,” Obama said. “We’ve talked about this on our show. It just takes a normal occurrence – these young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand because social media’s such a huge part of their world. There’s the hate, but now the hate is in your room, on your phone with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off because they’re making their living that way. They now are expected to stay engaged. So I think that makes it feel even worse.”
“But as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender,” she added. “It’s just harder now to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
Obama Recently Called Out ESPN
Anyone who watches ESPN can see that the network is much different now than it was 10-12 years ago. In many ways it looks a lot like reality television more so than sports and entertainment. During a recent episode of her and her brother Craig Robinson’s “IMO” podcast, the former first lady called out “First Take” and the entire network.
“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘it’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said on “IMO.” “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other…”
“So that’s why I’m like, ‘what’s the difference?’ It’s just, you know, it’s just sociological drama,” added Obama. “I mean, the fact that people over seasons of working still can’t get along. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it’s not just women. But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.”
After years of lying low in the background in support of her husband and former President Barack Obama we’re seeing a side of the former first lady that is rather enlightening.
