Then another group – mostly men and women of colour – arrived to the conversation appalled by the double standard:that Reese would be criticised for an insult that Clark was cheered for doing in a previous game.This is what selective outrage looks like! But context has little space to breathe in that viral,split-screen photo of Reese and Clark making the same gesture. When the two players are at the free throw line,and Reese does the iconic insult,that single image is propped up as Exhibit A for her defence. However,the other video of Reese,who went out of her way to follow Clark and push the limits of acceptable trash talk and taunting,is not as defensible.
That moment concluded what should have been the most fun,most special women’s March Madness of our time,an entry drug to hook new addicts among the millions of viewers who enjoyed the high-level shot-making and competition. But rather than the beauty of the basketball,which had been elevated by the personality and physical strength of a new generation,fans latched on to the spiciest and,at the same time,the least savory element:two all-Americans and the Black-and-white backdrop of America.
Sports have always been best served with a side of controversy. A football league so taut in tradition needed the contrast between a Roger Staubach,who probably drank milk and read his Psalms before bedtime,and a Joe Namath,who wore mink coats and bragged about his sexual conquests before the biggest games of his career. And sometimes,the clash of personalities goes to a deeper place,where the roots of our divisions have existed since the formation of this country.
The NBA in the 1980s bankrolled its popularity in part because it understood America. The best player in the eastern conference was white. The best in the west was Black. And with Bird and Magic,fans picked sides,and rivalries bloomed from the impassioned loyalties.
This is not to say that the NCAA will walk into the negotiating room for its next television rights deal with mock-ups of Reese wearing a dashiki and Clark in Patagonia. However,who wouldn’t want LSU and Iowa to meet in the 2023-24 regular season,or again in the tournament with so much on the line?
If Reese and Clark face off next year,imagine that game leading sports-talk shows and receiving record-shattering ratings. To the longtime champions of women’s basketball,that will be a win;for years,they’ve wanted to see the game grow beyond its niche and loyal fan base to reach the masses.
Throughout this tournament,Reese and Clark shouldered the responsibility of being ambassadors for their game – “We’ve grown women’s basketball just being who we are,and I embrace that,” Reese said after LSU’s semi-final win over Virginia Tech – but there’s no number of double-doubles Reese can post,no 30-foot dagger Clark can hit that will do more for the women’s game than The Moment. And what might be good for the game doesn’t feel very good at all.
The Washington Post
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