Aliyah Boston Laments Cathy Engelbert's Controversial Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Comments
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has faced a lot of criticism for her comments during a September 9 appearance on CNBC's 'Power Lunch' program.
The crux of people's outrage stems from Engelbert side-stepping a question that discussed the racist, sometimes sexualized undertones that stem from the fan rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as Engelbert instead answered by comparing Reese and Clark to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
This answer left a lot to be desired by many WNBA players. One of these players is Clark's teammate Aliyah Boston, who offered a clear criticism of Engelbert's words that was conveyed in a September 12 article from IndyStar's Chloe Peterson.
"That comment was kind of hard," said Boston, who's the Indiana Fever's WNBPA (Women's National Baseball Players Association) representative. "Honestly. I think when we think about this league and we think about the world in general, like there's no place for racism, regardless of competition, regardless of money that comes into this. I think it's really hard.
"I think what we do, especially as an association, make sure that the players don't feel like there's ever an okay feeling for racists to be a part of it. I think this league is so talented with many different people and that we just have to stick together," Boston continued.
Engelbert addressed her comments in a September 10 X post that wrote, "During a recent media interview, I was asked about the dark side of social media and online conversation about WNBA rivalries and race. To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."
During a recent media interview, I was asked about the dark side of social media and online conversation about WNBA rivalries and race. To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.
— Cathy Engelbert (@CathyEngelbert) September 11, 2024
Yet, because she didn't apologize for not addressing the racial implications involved in the question she was asked, players appear to be hesitant to forgive and forget.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.