The ongoing fan-fight between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark is a big deal in the current WNBA that goes way back to their school days. While their games and performances on court have pulled in fans, they way the deal with social media has been a differential factor on how the public eye define the stars.
Caitlin keeps a low-profile style, only uploding staff related to her personal life and interests, whereas Angel uses her accounts as a way of self promotion, providing her followers with posts highlighting her stats and the records she keeps on breaking. This differences has given their fans and haters a lot to talk about.
Reese’s big game and posts online
After Clark’s strong game coming back from an injury, leading her team the Indiana Fever, to beat the top New York Liberty, Reese had a great game too last weekend when Chicago Sky won against the Connecticut Sun. As a forward for the Chicago Sky, Reese got her first triple-double, giving her team a needed win.
Still, while people talked a lot about Clark’s performace, Reese did things her own way. She went social media and shared her big numbers and kind words from fans and news outlets. Some people commented that Angel put her own wins first, more than the team’s overall performance just to seem better than the Indiana Fever star.
Clark lets her play do the talking
Clark, on the other hand, is more used to keep things simple. Even as one of the league’s big stars, her online posts are rarely about herself, unlike Reese’s, which is true that looks more self-promotional than anything else. Clark has her focus on the team’s success, engaging with fans and sponsors but not just about bragging about her own acomplishments.
This has made fans talk. Some people like Reese’s bold style and her smart self-promotion, as she herself is a brand, a model, an influencer and a social media personality, which suits perfectly to the elite and pro sports life profile. Some other people think Clark’s quiet way and focus on the game make her stand out a bit more than her fan-called rival. They consider she has nothing to promote as she speaks on the court.
Beneficial for the WNBA
This Reese-Clark fan-made rivalry has for sure made more people watch the WNBA, exactly like the famous NBA fights did over the years. However, WNBA star Candace Parker has said not to make too much of the fight, noting their play styles are too different for a direct matchup.
Yet, the talk goes on, with each player shaping the league. Clark with her top games, and Reese putting the team on her back. The fact that she uses social media as a way to self-promote is not what matters. You can be silent, you can be loud, but and the end of the day what counts is how you perform in the game and how you contribute to your team in order to achieve victory. And they both do that like masters.
As the season goes on, the story of Reese and Clark will likely be crucial for the WNBA, as it is a good way to sell the product. We all know that in order to create a good movie you need a hero and a villan. Now you choose who is who for you.
Whether Reese’s way of showing off online keeps elevating her fame or Clark’s silent media presence enhances her top performances, we will always see narratives that praise one while criticizing the other.
One thing is sure, they are changing the WNBA’s game.
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