The WNBA continues to be a hot topic for everyone from the average hoops fan to people looking for a good internet beef to get a piece of.
Friday was the day after Charles Barkley called WNBA players “petty” toward Caitlin Clark and started a firestorm of opinions and video clips of people separating themselves from any perceived Clark hate, but also trying to tactfully and humbly explain that she’s not getting any free passes from players in the league on the court.
Emmanuel Ocho pointed out that day on an episode of “Speak” that there’s “a thin line between hate and facts.”
And this social media war that has ensued has its fair share of both.
Natasha Cloud Tells Divisive Male Fans Invest In League Or Shut Up
Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud isn’t interested in either. Cloud, who has been a respected voice for the WNBA when it comes to social issues, women issues, community issues and any other important decision the league is involved in off the court, sent a message to male viewers and pundits who are just starting to notice women’s basketball.
“I’m tired of hearing men talk about our league knowing nothing about our history,” Cloud wrote. “Invest or stfu. Respectfully.”
Criticism and Drama Come With Fans: Sports Is Covered That Way Now
Cloud’s frustration is understandable, as the WNBA has longed for this kind of publicity and now that they have it, people seem more concerned with the soap opera drama and personal lives of these women than the product on the court.
Go figure.
Welcome to bona fide celebrity life. You can only sell the actual game so much. The personality of the game is what keeps people connected and battling with other people on the internet about people they have never spoken to or met in their lives.
It should be a beautiful thing for the WNBA, which is reportedly growing in worth and lining up sponsorship, chartered flights and preparing for an explosion in revenue, according to the record attendance that’s being reported for Indiana Fever games in particular.
Cloud’s main area of lament is those aforementioned outsiders and new fans trying to cause controversy and stir up what she sees as a misogynistic trope of women resenting other women.
“Y’all want us to be pitted against each other so bad,” Cloud complained.
Two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson has continuously been addressing these lines of potentially divisive questioning while also trying to refocus everyone back on the task at hand during the season. Her responses are more deflective and less accusatory than Cloud’s
What Cloud is talking about and what the fans are doing are two completely different things. Fans are going to root for the players and team they like and against those they don’t. There’s no rule that fans have to be nice to people they don’t root for.
Sometimes fans boo and say terrible things about the players they love. So, if Cloud is going to keep count of every social media post that proclaims Caitlin Clark as the savior of women’s hoops and every post that says Cailtin Clark sucks and Angel Reese is queen, she’s not going to be able to focus on her job on the court.
Because there’s a waterfall of that going on now, and the WNBA has to figure out how to capitalize on it, as should Cloud.
WNBA Coverage Will Never Be The Same As Popularity Grows
This is a new day for the WNBA. Women wanted men to be interested in their game, and that seems to be happening for whatever reason. Cloud nor any other women in the league can dictate how male audiences will show their support for the league. It’s not something she should be concerning herself with or using language that will turn off male viewers.
There have been many comments made perceived as pro-player and anti-player, and Caitlin Clark isn’t the only target.
Adding to the theory that Barkley’s comments specifically sparked Cloud’s critique, she reposted a response from a fan who called out TNT’s NBA analyst.
“I would just like men to say less,” the fan wrote. “Talk with your wallets, go to games, buy jerseys, purchase a team, anything but this.”
After eight seasons with the Washington Mystics, Cloud joined the Mercury this offseason. The 32-year-old veteran scored 14 points and dished 10 assists in an 83-80 victory over her former team on Thursday.
The Mercury are currently 3-2 and in a dogfight in the Western Conference with some strong teams.
