The Chicago Sky’s matchup against the Indiana Fever to open the 2025 WNBA season should have been about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s play on the court.
Days later, it has become much more.
There were allegations that “hateful comments” were reportedly made toward Reese. The WNBA launched an investigation on Sunday as a result.
The league said it “strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms.”
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the league said in a statement. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.”
It looks like not everybody was made aware of what happened, if it actually happened.
Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh spoke with the media after his team’s practice on Tuesday and shared an interesting sentiment regarding this investigation.
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“I think we’re in compliance with them, and obviously there’s no room or space in our game for hate,” Marsh said when asked about the investigation.
When asked when he had become aware that there was hate speech that allegedly happened during the game, Marsh said, “When everyone else did. I think it’s something that we heard about, and so we’re just forthcoming with anything that the league is able to do, investigation-wise.”
Tyler Marsh says the Sky were not aware of any hate speech during the game and only found out reports from social media. the WNBA investigation is based on social media reports pic.twitter.com/5fQz5dKjvZ
— correlation (@nosyone4) May 20, 2025
Basically, the investigation is based on social media chatter and reports.
According to Christine Brennan of USA Today Sports, the WNBA will not provide updates on this investigation until it is concluded, regardless of whether or not anything is found.
Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever Game Broke Records
The Indiana Fever’s 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky last Saturday drew 2.7 million viewers on ABC.
That number set a record for the most-viewed WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks and is believed to be the most-viewed WNBA regular-season game in 25 years.
Also Read: Dave Portnoy Calls Out Angel Reese And The WNBA For Lying
