Bob Costas Decries Lack of Outrage over Angel Reese’s ‘Black on Black’ Incident

Bob Costas
Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Dylan Gwinn

Bob Costas has heard the outrage over the brutal foul that Caitlin Clark suffered last Saturday, and he finds it all very hypocritical.

The internet erupted over the weekend after the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter blindsided Caitlin Clark with an unprovoked hit.

However, in an interview on CNN  on Monday, Costas pointed out that nowhere near as much outrage occurred earlier in the season when the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas clotheslined Angel Reese.

“The reason why that doesn’t spark as much conversation isn’t just that Caitlin Clark is a bigger star than Alyssa Thomas,” Costas said. “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.”

Costas’ point isn’t entirely wrong. Not everyone reported the Angel Reese incident; we did.  However, it certainly didn’t get the traction the Clark-Carter incident got. One would be foolish to dismiss race from the entire conversation, as it obviously plays a part.

However, the fact that Angel Reese has been subjected to some of the same treatment as Clark (though not nearly as often) proves that much of the motivation for the treatment of Clark and Reese stems as much, if not more, from envy, not racial angst.

The WNBA has played in obscurity for over 20 years, with not one player managing to draw widespread public interest. Now, you have a bonafide star in Caitlin Clark and a lesser star in Angel Reese, who have suddenly brought eyeballs to televisions and put cheeks in seats, and that is not sitting well with some NBA veterans.

Money is also a key part of the envious feelings some are having. Clark and Reese have cashed in on endorsement opportunities that no player in the sport has ever had.

Race will always be an issue, but it’s only part of what is happening with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

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