Bob Costas has shared his thoughts on why Alyssa Thomas’ flagrant foul on Angel Reese hardly got as much coverage as the one Chennedy Carter left on Caitlin Clark.
Carter’s hefty body check on Clark during Saturday’s Sky-Fever matchup was the talk of the weekend and is still a topic of discussion among fans and reporters alike.
Costas, a broadcasting legend, weighed in on the foul during CNN’s ‘NewsNight’ this week, pointing out that Thomas’ foul on Reese on May 25 received less coverage.
That foul was a lot harder than Saturday’s, with Thomas pulling Reese down by her throat while the latter was attempting to grab a rebound and slamming her to the floor. She was ejected after the foul.
Costas chalked the lack of coverage up to both players being black.
“There was an incident recently where Alyssa Thomas, who happens to be African-American, grabbed Angel Reese by the throat and threw her to the floor,” he said in quotes transcribed by the New York Post. “Flagrant 2, ejected from the game. The reason why that doesn’t spark as much conversation isn’t just that Caitlin Clark is a bigger star than Alyssa Thomas. It’s because it’s a black-on-black incident.
“And you don’t have that dynamic that people can, comment on, yes, but also exaggerate and make the entire story sometimes.”
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Caitlin Clark Isn’t Getting Special Treatment, According to Cari Champion
Cari Champion agreed with Costas’ assessment, adding that physical play has been part of the WNBA since it launched and did not start with Caitlin Clark’s arrival.
“No one cared about the WNBA when women of a certain color were beating up and bruising each other, because it’s been happening since the league’s inception,” she said. “We have this star, this woman that people love, they want to protect her, so now, all the new fans and the new analysts and the new people have so much to say.
“I’ve been so angry all day, because it’s so simple to make women vs. women a conversation,” Champion added. “But it’s so simple. There should be more layers to this sport. If you’re really going to welcome yourself to the WNBA and cover it and talk about it, can we be more than just ‘jealous’? Can there be some real, true competition? Can they just be athletes?”
