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Former first lady Michelle Obama weighed in on the WNBA rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for the first time.
During an appearance on the podcast “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson,” Obama spoke during a group discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on the players’ well-beings and “hate” involved.
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Angel Reese, #5 of the Chicago Sky, and Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, look on during the second half against the Chicago Sky on June 23, 2024, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world,” Obama said.
“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama attends Opening Night celebrating ’50 years of equal pay’ during Day One of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2023. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images) (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images.)
The rivalry between Clark and Reese was renewed in their first game of the 2025 season on May 17. Clark’s Indiana Fever defeated Reese’s Chicago Sky 93-58, and Clark was called for a flagrant foul after a defensive play against Reese.
The WNBA announced after the game that it would be launching an investigation into alleged “racist” comments directed at Reese, but could not substantiate the allegations.
The two have not played each other since that May 17 game, as both have dealt with injuries throughout the season.
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts after being fouled by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in May; Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Obama recently made headlines with another sports-related opinion, when she compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of her brother’s podcast “IMO” in July.
“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other. . . .”
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