for anyone who isn't aware, wnba players have been speaking out recently about the abuse they've been receiving online from sports betters who bet on them and weren't happy with the outcomes of the games. notably, chelsea gray blasted a guy who called her a racial slur because she didn't score as many points as he bet she would, and courtney williams posted a voice note of her response to a guy who said some absolutely vile stuff to her
i know most of the wnba fans on here are more casual watchers, but it's still something i think everyone who pays attention to the league should be aware of because it's astounding how many comments i've seen saying that the players should just suck it up because that comes with the territory and all athletes have to deal with it. while it's true that this problem is by no means unique to the wnba, that doesn't mean it's okay or that players should have to tolerate harassment and bigotry (i swear every single one of these comments is overtly racist, misogynistic, and/or homophobic)
if the league is going to openly endorse sports betting, partner with betting platforms, and actively promote betting during every single commercial break, then it NEEDS to also take measures to protect its players from the vitriol that betting inspires. personally i think it's incredibly fucked up that sports leagues are endorsing betting at all, but that's a conversation for another day. natasha cloud said it well when she was interviewed about it: if the wnba wants to endorse betting for the sake of financial growth, fine, but that cannot come at the expense of the players, and cathy needs to step up and protect them (in this way and so many more). elizabeth williams (secretary of the players’ association) said that there’s a meeting scheduled to discuss the issue with cathy soon, but i honestly don’t know how much we can expect to come from it
