The WNBA is preparing to take an in-season break starting Aug. 31 to Sept. 16 to accommodate players participating in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin from Sept. 4 to 13. Among those representing Team USA are Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese.
The rivals will join 10 other WNBA stars on the 2026 USA Women’s National Team roster while continuing to lead their respective franchises near the top of the WNBA playoff standings. Despite their on-court success, Clark and Reese remain two of the most polarizing and heavily criticized players in the league — a dynamic that ESPN announcer Ryan Ruocco says hurts overall media coverage.
Ruocco Wants WNBA Media To Be More Critical Of Others
Fans of Clark and Reese routinely clash online, often levying harsh criticism against each other’s favorite player. For Ruocco, however, fan rivalry isn’t the primary issue. Instead, he takes aim at WNBA media coverage, arguing that journalists focus intense scrutiny on those two while largely giving other star players a pass. Speaking on the “Girls Tripp” podcast, Ruocco detailed his concerns.
“For this league to grow, people have to feel comfortable being critical and it not being a personal attack or hating,” he said.
“And people have to be critical of more than just Caitlin Clark, quite frankly. In my opinion, most of the ecosystem feels comfortable being critical about one player, maybe two. Angel (Reese) would be the other. Everybody else, people are very afraid to say anything bad about, even if it’s a very small, micro thing. And that’s not real sports.”
Fans Chime In
WNBA fans and others took to social media to voice their varying opinions on the matter.
“Just imagine being a male announcer having to cover the WBNA,” a fan said.
“He’s a part of the problem. He’s a play-by-play lead but he thinks he’s a color commentator. He oversells the most mundane things on the court thereby making everything bigger than the actual play that’s happening. Thankfully he’s not on the broadcast for the FIBA world’s championship,” another fan said.
“Reese gets criticized by some MAGA losers unfairly, but her glaring basketball deficiencies are almost completely ignored. Clark gets hyper criticized,” someone else mentioned.
“I wish he would feel comfortable being critical of Clark when she needs it. To me, that is a bigger problem,” a fan commented.
“Answer: too scared to upset any blacks or lesbians,” a fan replied.
“You mean when Sabrina, Stewie, Miles, A’ja stunk it up and we get crickets?,” another fan spewed.
Clark And Reese Having Historical Seasons
Despite the intense media scrutiny, Clark and Reese continue to rewrite the WNBA record book with standout performances and historic milestones.
Clark has dominated box scores, recently becoming the first WNBA player to reach 800 points and 300 assists in a single season. She also continues to drive unprecedented viewership, shattering broadcast records across multiple networks.
Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 50 career double-doubles. She also tied Alyssa Thomas’ single-season record of 28 double-doubles while pulling down a league-record 26 rebounds in a single game, cementing her status as an elite rebounder.
