Great moment in women’s sports soiled by patronizing criticism and congratulations

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

There is no doubt the NCAA women’s basketball tournament was a success. The championship game, featuring Louisiana State University versus the University of Iowa, was the most-watched college women’s basketball game in history with nearly 10 million viewers.

Yes, the men played too, but truthfully I didn’t make it through their final. As a dear friend noted, there was no drama. I don’t mean drama in an insidious manner. I mean it as a way to increase the hype. Discourse around women’s sports and gender equity and race really culminate on platforms such as women’s basketball. It is arguably one of the most racialized American college sports. 

The game, which LSU won 102-85, featured two of the best players in the NCAA — LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Much of the post-game attention centred on Reese’s taunting of Clark, which both players dismissed as just part of the game and something men do all the time.

In attendance at the game in Dallas was U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, who was so moved by her first NCAA women’s final that she later declared she would like to have Iowa’s team also come to the White House in what is historically just a visit for the winning team. This is not only sporting tradition but a way to uplift the ones who persevered and actually won.

The White House later clarified her remark as just an enthusiastic response and that the president and Mrs. Biden looked forward to celebrating with the LSU Tigers. But it ignited a debate about how women’s sports are treated.

As sports writer Marisa Ingemi said on Twitter, “this treats women’s sports as unserious.” 

A few on social media noted that if the tables were turned, LSU would not have been extended an invite. It’s impossible to know whether that is true. Were the images and videos of Black women celebrating making people uncomfortable? Why was the all-white team of Iowa given this kindness and opportunity?

Reese called Biden’s comments a joke and said on the IAMATHLETE podcast: “I just know if the roles were reversed, they wouldn’t be the same. If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House.”

Even members of the Iowa team agreed they shouldn’t get an invite, with Clark saying, “I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them.”

I understand that Biden is an educator and has done tremendous work with youth empowerment, but women’s sports at this level are competitive and should be respected that way. This isn’t a Grade 4 play day where everyone gets a ribbon for participation.

The Biden invitation for a moment overshadowed the controversy generated by Reese’s in-game celebration, where she taunted Clark by raising her hand in front of her face and pointing to her finger to signal that she would be receiving a championship ring. 

That prompted a backlash of criticism toward Reese, who was merely making the same gesture Clark had made at an opponent just days before. Clark was also trash talking during Iowa’s win over Louisville earlier in the tournament. Why was it a problem if Reese did it to her? Was it because she is too brash? Too something? 

Reese later unapologetically spoke up about why so much attention focused on her was largely negative. And she’s not wrong. It seems many want Black women to be palatable and “gracious” in their winning. We don’t have this expectation of men and we shouldn’t of racialized women. Why are the standards different when it comes to Black women’s joy?

In an interview with ESPN, Clark noted that there is a gender bias in how trash talking is perceived. “Men have always had trash talk,” she said. “You should be able to play with that emotion … That’s how every girl should continue to play.

“[Reese] should never be criticized for what she did. I’m one that competes, and she competed.”

If one of the top players in women’s college basketball is confirming these points, we need to be honest and think about why Reese is being accused of being an ungracious winner. 

There is a way to appreciate champions without policing their behaviour when it is part of basketball culture and practiced by a lot of players. There is also a way to recognize when Black women are not being treated with the grace that their white opponents are.

Reese and her team’s win is a moment of joy and I am choosing to be thrilled for the players at LSU, and the way they are teaching girls to be unapologetic about who they are. For too long, society has dictated how women should behave and whether women should play. I think it’s bizarre that some of society now wants to decide how women should act when they win.

I intend to wave my finger at my kids the next time I win at Scrabble. Only because I know they would do the same to me and respect me enough that I can accept it. Just like we learned from these formidable women of college basketball.