Brittany Griner Sparks Fury Among Fans After She Accuses Them of Racism, Claims They Yell Slurs at Players

Brittney⁣ Griner has spoken out against the⁤ racial abuse‌ directed at her and ‍other players in the WNBA, particularly ​during ‌a season that saw the league’s fanbase grow ‍significantly. Following the conclusion⁢ of ​the Mercury’s season, Griner expressed her frustration, stating that ⁣while‌ she appreciates​ new fans⁣ who respect the‍ game, she does not condone those who resort to racial slurs against players, teammates, or opponents.

Griner’s remarks come in the wake of a challenging playoff ⁢series ​where several players, including fellow All-Star ⁤Alyssa Thomas, noted that they had ⁤faced unprecedented levels⁢ of abusive behavior from a growing faction of fans. This particular tensions seem to⁢ coincide with the⁣ rise of ‍high-profile rookie⁣ Caitlin Clark, who is white, in a league predominantly featuring‍ players of color.

The WNBA issued a statement condemning any⁣ racist or derogatory behavior from fans and​ assured that league security is‌ monitoring​ such incidents closely. However,⁤ despite⁤ the⁢ seriousness of the claims made by players and the league, ⁢there has been​ skepticism ⁢regarding⁢ the lack of ‍specific examples of these abuses, raising questions about the nature and prevalence ⁤of the incidents.

Social​ media reactions have varied, with some users expressing disbelief that⁢ such ⁤behavior occurs at ‌WNBA games, while ⁣others have shared examples ​of online‌ harassment directed ​at players. Caitlin ⁤Clark‍ added her voice to the discussion, emphasizing that there should be zero tolerance for racism and derogatory ⁤comments in the league,⁢ labeling abusive⁢ fans as “trolls” rather than true⁢ supporters.⁢

As the ⁤WNBA continues to expand its fanbase, ⁢the‍ conversation around inclusivity and ⁢respect in sports remains⁣ critical to maintaining a positive⁤ environment for⁤ all players and fans.


The WNBA was the surprise hit of the summer, sports-wise — but did a wave of “new fans” bring in a wave of racism?

That’s the claim that was made by Brittney Griner, the 10-time WNBA All-Star and Phoenix Mercury center, a day after her team was eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night. While she isn’t the only player saying there’s an unsettling racial undercurrent to the sport’s newfound fanbase, she became the biggest name to publicly assert racism was being openly aired at WNBA games.

Griner’s claim was met with intense skepticism online — including many who noted that, in our smartphone-centric age, such abuse would likely have gone bad-viral had it happened.

The Mercury star, perhaps best known off the court for being held prisoner for 10 months in Russian prison on drug charges in 2022, made the statements on Thursday after No. 7-seeded Phoenix fell to the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx 101-88, losing the best-of-three first-round series 2-0. Lynx star Napheesa Collier tied a WNBA playoff record with 42 points in the win.

However, the headline became Griner’s allegations of racism from WNBA-come-latelys, presumably drawn in by a rookie class that included the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

“I don’t appreciate the new fans that sit there and yell racial slurs at myself, my teammates, and the people that I play against because, yeah, those might be opponents but those are friends, too,” Griner said Thursday after the Mercury’s season ended.

“They don’t deserve that, so I don’t appreciate the new fans that think it’s OK to do that,” she added.

Griner also made clear that she wasn’t blaming the rookie class, merely the fans.

“But I do appreciate the new fans that respect the game, that are here to grow our league, bringing in people that may have never watched the W to a WNBA game so we can grow more fans. I do appreciate them,” Griner said.

“I appreciate the players that came in with the spark that they have playing at the level that they’re playing at. We need more players coming in ready to put on a show and ready to give a good product to keep growing each year. So I’m happy about where the game is now versus when I came into the league.”

She isn’t the only making this claim; five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas said that the abuse she received during her Connecticut Sun’s two-game sweep over Clark’s Indiana Fever was unlike anything she’d previously experienced: “It’s unacceptable, honestly,” she said, according to Reuters. “There’s no place for it.”

Part of the tension has arisen around the fact that Clark, the league’s Rookie of the Year, is white in a sport where a significant portion of the star players are minorities.

Earlier in the week, the WNBA released a statement also condemning non-specific racist actions by fans.

“The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. While we welcome a growing fan base, the league will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams, or anyone affiliated with the league,” the statement read.

“League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement, as necessary.”

However, the specific incidents of abuse — or the prevalence of them — have only been referred to in vague terms by both Griner and the league’s statement, leading to some measure of skepticism in a smartphone-centric era where almost every public act of intolerance can and will be caught on camera.

“Nobody is screaming racial slurs at a WNBA game. You have to be brain damaged to believe this nonsense,” said Daily Wire pundit Matt Walsh in response to Griner’s statement.

Others echoed similar sentiments:

Indeed, while numerous sources reported on the allegations made by Griner and Thomas, as well as the league’s statement, none of three sources reviewed by The Western Journal — The Arizona Republic, Fox News and Reuters — provided a specific example.

However, several alleged examples of bigoted behavior at WNBA games could be found on social media, although none involved anyone directly yelling racial slurs.

In one, allegedly taken at one of the games between Connecticut and Indiana in the playoffs, a woman with cartoonishly long fingernail extensions is wearing a shirt that said “BAN NAILS” on it, a reference to Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington’s accidental poke of Clark’s eye during their playoff series (Carrington sports long, lavish nails).

In another, the very same Carrington uploaded an she reportedly received with the topic line “Worthless n***** b****,” along with an unprintable threat hoping that someone would sexually assault and kill her.

(The screenshot, posted by Carrington herself, is here and cannot be independently verified, but it contains extremely graphic language and reader discretion is strongly advised.)

However, provable evidence of widespread racist behavior apart from a handful of individuals brought in by the game’s newfound popularity was not necessarily in evidence on social media — but that didn’t mean the league wasn’t looking to nip whatever problem it has, however widespread it is, in the bud as its popularity grows.

Clark herself weighed in on the controversy, saying that the league ought to do their best to uproot these “fans.”

“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats,” Clark said. “Those aren’t fans.

“Those are trolls.”




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