New media and social media: The impact on the WNBA’s Black players

Dr. Ajhanai (AJ) Keaton Credit:& Twitter by& Charles Hallman, The Minneapolis Spokesman Recorder Social media has too often been a racial cesspool for the WNBA, as trolls disguised as fans have made it toxic. This became apparent as soon as Caitlin Clark was drafted by Indiana in the 2024 Draft and intensified when Angel Reese was drafted five slots later by Chicago at No. 6. “I think the general sentiment is you have to be really careful about the way you are discussing things,” admitted Natalie Esquire, an NBC Sports streaming content producer. & Unlike many new media, Esquire has been covering the W for a while now and has seen the influx of new media this season. Too many media have gone ga-ga over Clark, the new Great White Hope. & “There’s a lot of new media in light of Caitlin Clark’s being here, and a lot of them are going to games where sometimes Caitlin is not even involved in the game, and they’re asking the coaches, the players about Caitlin,” observed Esquire.& “If you’re going to a game with two teams that don’t involve her, even if it does involve her, are you going to ask any...