Subscribe
Follow Us
The WNBA is launching an effort to prevent hate speech directed at league players. WNBA officials are putting together a task force to combat vitriol spewed online or during games. The league made the announcement Monday, ahead of the 2025 draft.
“We want to ensure that the WNBA remains a space where everyone — players, fans and corporate partners — feel safe, valued and empowered,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, per ESPN.
The WNBA has seen a surge in attention and television ratings in the last year. This is partly due to the emergence of new stars, like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
The down side of that new popularity is that there is also more hate speech being directed at players. This includes racial and homophobic slurs being directed at players, Engelbert said.
The wife of New York Liberty player Breanna Stewart received an email last season with anti-gay rhetoric, per ESPN. In another incident, a man with a camera harassed former Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter while she exited a team bus.
“There's no space for hate, and I think there is just continuing drain on all of us, on players, on staff, staff on our teams,” Engelbert added. “After last year, I think we just really wanted to do something … it was time to put this task force together and really hit it head-on, so that's what we're going to do.”
The 2025 WNBA season begins May 16.
What will the WNBA hate speech task force look like?
There are multiple aspects to this new task force. The group will first monitor social media to pinpoint what is being said to players that may involve hate speech. WNBA officials are using technology to help sift through social media posts to achieve that objective.
Other goals of the task force include expanding mental health service access for players, increasing security at arenas, and strengthening conduct standards. WNBA officials plan to work with both players and teams to fulfill all these objectives.
The task force is expected to be comprised of both officials within the WNBA, as well as external organizations. Time will tell how effective this group will be at stopping hateful rhetoric.
