In 2018, I attended my first WNBA game.

Six years ago, I drove from my home in Boston to Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. It was certainly one of those early “camp games” that latest fans recently got so enthusiastic about this summer that the stands full of kids at the highest of the bowl. In my lower bowl section, I squeezed past a bunch of older lesbians who were good-naturedly harsh with the judges. I’ve never had more fun at a sporting event. I felt like I had found a version of home.

I’ve never felt anything but secure, welcome and celebrated at a WNBA game – until Wednesday night. The crowd at Game 2 of the primary round matchup between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever felt different, and never in a great way.

Although I’m an experienced sportswriter, I used to be not considered a member of the press on this case. Instead, I went to the match as a fan with my partner. Upon arrival, I quickly noticed that the gang was cheering for the visiting team, Fever. Most of the people sitting around me were also Fever fans, most of them wearing Caitlin Clark’s Fever ranger outfit.

It didn’t worry me, but it surely surprised me. I heard (and wrote) about “The Caitlin Clark Effect” throughout the season, but this was the primary time I saw him in motion. As someone who has spent the higher a part of a decade attempting to tell anyone who will listen how great the WNBA is, I’m thrilled to see increasingly more people getting on board. But in a short time something began to disturb the gang.

“I felt very uncomfortable tonight.” Chanda Prescod-Weinsteina Sun fan who has been attending games since 2018 told Andscape. “It was disappointing that so many people from the area came out to support the opposing team. And on top of that, they gave our players a kind of vitriol that had racial undertones.” Prescod-Weinstein was at the sport along with her husband. They are each people of color, and Prescod-Weinstein is queer agent. As a result, “I didn’t feel safe questioning the nasty behavior of those around me,” Prescod-Weinstein said.

As the sport continued, a girl behind me said she saw Sun defender DiJonai Carrington shove Clark and have become increasingly outraged by it. Carrington then fell to the bottom and screamed, “What, did you trip on your eyelashes?”

At this point my partner asked her, “Are you going to be racist the whole game?” She huffed and puffed a bit, but calmed down. Then me he noticed a girl two sections away, getting up and dancing to the music. Her T-shirt read “No Nails” and she or he had cartoonishly long fake acrylic nails made of paper on her hands. It was clear she was mocking Carrington. There were several hats with the slogan “Make America Great Again”, including: man wearing a hat with the words “Trump 2024” written on it. and holding an indication that read: “Make Basketball Great Again #22.”

Every time the Fever scored a goal, the gang erupted, but it surely didn’t seem to be the fans were rooting for his or her team. It was like a threat. There was an ominous atmosphere within the constructing.

But it wasn’t at all times like this. “Most games are like a mini Pride event” – Kate, a Sun season ticket holder who asked that we only use her first name, she posted a video on TikTok about her experience at the sport,” Andscape said. “Last night felt like I was at a MAGA rally in Connecticut. It was furious.”

According to fans, this was something specific to the Fever audience. “We went to see the game (earlier this season) when Sky came to town and although there were a lot of Sky fans, the mood was different,” Prescod-Weinstein said. “A number of them were black women. No MAGA hats. This time there have been a number of older white people there who gave the impression to be there to hate our players slightly than simply be fans.

Both my partner and I are queer and trans. The WNBA has at all times been a league for us. In 2023, over 60% of players were African American, AND over 1 / 4 of them are openly queer. There was at the least one trans-nonbinary person this season within the league. The fandom has at all times felt prefer it reflects the demographics of the league. Thanks to this, the environment was secure for each players on the pitch and folks within the stands.

The atmosphere inside Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday night was the logical conclusion of the media coverage the WNBA has received this season and the league’s lack of appropriate response. With the increased audience got here greater interest, mostly from journalists and media outlets that had never covered the league. When these journalists parachute in, they don’t take with them an understanding of the culture, context and history of the game they’re covering. The result’s relationships that harm not only players but fans as well.

Coverage of the primary game between the teams on Sunday overwhelmingly focused on one play during which Carrington unintentionally poked Clark in the attention, continuing a season-long trend of coverage suggesting Clark was being targeted by the remainder of the league. Although each players claimed it was accidental, media reports emerged that Carrington – an openly gay black player – had aggressively attempted to bully Clark, a heterosexual white woman. The he led the story with header, , what the newspaper modified after it faced criticism. Sports podcaster Jason Whitlock claimed that Carrington “assaulted” ClarkESPN sportscaster Shannon Sharpe devoted a whole segment to the show, ESPN sent an in-game push notification concerning the spectacle and right-wing media I spent a day in the sector with him.

Carrington he tweeted among the threats she received, including racial slurs and rape and death threats. Is it any wonder that Clark’s fans showed up on the Mohegan Sun able to attack Carrington because the media is stoking such a fire? And is it any wonder Carrington did it? he called Fever fans the “nastiest” fans within the WNBA?

“In my 11-year career, I have never seen racist comments from Indiana Fever fans,” Sun forward Alyssa Thomas said after the sport. “We don’t want fans to humiliate us and call us racist names… It’s inappropriate and something has to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or the league checking – there’s no time for that anymore.”

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert got here under fire on September 9, when asked concerning the toxic fandom and racist harassment and vitriol that many players have experienced this season. Engelbert spoke concerning the need for competition in sports and emphasized that she encourages players to disregard trolls on social media. But as Wednesday’s game at Mohegan Sun Stadium showed, it isn’t nearly anonymous hate on the Internet. This is not even the primary time players have been in danger this season. June 5 someone asked the Chicago Sky players Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese outside the hotel after the sport against the Fever. Other players have commented on the impact fans’ behavior on their mental healthincluding Sky players Isabelle Harrison and Dana Evans.

“It’s not about rivalries or iconic figures driving the business model” – Terri Jackson, executive director of the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association, – wrote within the statement after Engelbert’s remarks. “This type of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It requires immediate action and, quite frankly, is long overdue.”

WNBA issued a press release after Wednesday’s game, stating that it will not tolerate “racist, derogatory or threatening comments towards players, teams and anyone associated with the league.” However, for a lot of, including some gamers, this statement is simply too little too late.

There is one other layer of such a racism that could be seen at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun is the one Native American-owned team within the league, an early investor in women’s basketball and plays on tribal lands. “I want people to be respectful when they come to Mohegan Arena, regardless of the team they support,” Prescod-Weinstein said. “Most of us come there as guests of Mohegan, on their land. Racism on this context has a special history and the league bears responsibility for it.

Having been at that game, I can let you know that essentially the most aggressive people in that crowd weren’t Indiana Fever fans – they were Clark fans. I didn’t see some other player’s name on a Fever jersey or jersey, and many of the Fever gear I saw clearly had Clark’s name and number on it. It’s now not enough to redirect the conversation back to basketball.

Clark was asked concerning the hate other players are feeling this season and confirmed that racism has no place within the league.

“No one in our league should have to face any form of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments or threats of any kind,” he added. she told James Boyd about it “These will not be fans. These are trolls.

Carrington has been critical of Clark this season as she wondered how someone “cannot care that their name is used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and their intersectionality.” She encouraged Clark, who hasn’t been very outspoken about her fans, to make use of her platform for good, saying that “silence is a luxury.” Following media coverage of Game 1, Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes expressed similar sentiment toward X.

“Even if you don’t WANT to take responsibility…. You STILL have responsibility! Speak up,” Sykes wrote. “There is no place for s – that is shown or said to women in our league… Do not use players to hide behind their true intentions of being mean, nasty and racist.”

It’s unfair that the media and a few of her fans are forcing Clark to be an avatar of white supremacy, but she’s going to must actively fight back. If her black colleagues are affected by racism and misogyny and she or he chooses silence, she chooses to benefit from the undeniable fact that she will select to not cope with it while they can not.

As my partner and I stood in the gang for a detailed-to-last-minute qualifying match, we should always have had an excellent time. Instead, we wondered if we should always leave early, frightened that the atmosphere would turn sour at any moment. We were afraid that Fever fans would riot if their team lost, but we were equally afraid that they’d riot in the event that they won.

“Caitlin played her first WNBA game in Connecticut and I was there,” Kate said. “The atmosphere was so positive and exciting that we focused on the kids who got here from everywhere in the world to see her play. “Something modified drastically between that first game and last night. The fan base has been taken over by the adults’ parasocial obsession. The energy shift was palpable and at times terrifying, something I had never experienced while playing W.

I looked around at the gang I didn’t recognize and burst into tears. This shouldn’t be the league these players have worked so hard to create. The Sun should give you the chance to give attention to the undeniable fact that, in pursuit of their team’s first championship, they’ve just advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Instead, they’d to handle the racism and vitriol their players were subjected to easily for doing their job.

If that is what game development looks like, I promise I don’t need it.

Ayesha Curry is returning to work after she and her husband, NBA star Stephen Curry, welcomed their fourth child, Caius Curry, in May.

She seems to be keeping her baby out of the public eye, which seems to be her no 1 priority. But now, 4 months later, the beauty entrepreneur and cooking enthusiast is ready to hit the ground running again.

On September 25, Ayesha posted a photograph of herself rocking a shoulder-length wavy bob and a dreamy look while taking a look at the camera while holding her phone.

For her signature: her he wrote“Mother’s leave has ended. My mother tried to reconcile it. Thanks to our great team, our first day back was easy and breezy.”

While many fans were in awe of Curry’s beauty, others were skeptical as to whether she added any enhancements to her photo.

One person suggested that the 35-year-old used a photograph and video editing app called Facetune. They wrote: “Facetune’s brilliance is unmatched.” Another person said: “She’s not my girl who uses a whole face filter even though her face is naturally perfect.”

A 3rd person, who thought Ayesha added a little bit of sparkle to her photo, said: “Rule one. Pretty girls don’t need filters… just saying.”

Some fans spoke out in support of wife Steph, saying: “I hope she blocks you all claiming she used face tune” and “Don’t they all use it. Why does it need to be mentioned if it’s her?”

She has not yet responded to the ongoing discussions in the comments section and likely won’t have time to accomplish that once she returns to handling her quite a few business and brand deals.

Over the past few years, Ayesha has also accrued several job titles apart from wife and mom. She is a two-time New York Times bestselling creator, founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Sweet July, and founding father of the Sweet July Skin skincare line. She is also a restaurateur who partnered with award-winning chef Michael Mina to create the International Smoke restaurant.

In addition to all this – and just a few other uncredited roles – Ayesha is also involved in the film industry. She has appeared on shows reminiscent of “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Ballers,” “Hannah Montana,” and more. However, earlier this 12 months she returned to the screen alongside Lindsay Lohan in their new Netflix rom-com titled “Irish Wish.”

You could say that Curry should have an incredible ability to balance responsibilities to accomplish all this, but Curry says otherwise.

“The first step is accepting that balance doesn’t really exist,” she said People last 12 months. “We are all here and trying our greatest. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I do not, but I still speak up for issues and people who are essential to me, and that is what counts.”

She added: “I also like to say, ‘it takes a village,’ and that applies to family and business. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who share the same values, and this ‘village’ has allowed me to be at my best and helps make it all happen.”

— Young Dolf in 2017

If Beale Street could talk, it might inform you that while Memphis, Tennessee, is proud, it’s a city that can be unafraid of its traumas. At its heart is a museum dedicated to the late activist Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement at the Lorraine Motel – the place where King took his last breath. More than half a century later, the murder of rapper Young Dolph, while not a comparative measure, leaves a serious emotional wound.

On Thursday, after a four-day trial, a jury found Justin Johnson guilty of Young Dolph’s November 2021 murder. Makeda homemade butter cookies. Johnson was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a firearm. While the verdict was being read, Johnson showed no emotion when he discovered he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars.

Ask many Memphis residents about the impact of Young Dolph’s murder and they’ll surely inform you that it’s a stain that the city will carry for generations. Gun violence in Tennessee, particularly in Memphis, persists polarizing issue though it’s noticeable disastrous consequences. The virus pandemic didn’t help the city, but the wave of violence didn’t abate even after the restrictions were lifted. Illegal carry was legalized in Tennessee in 2021, the same yr Young Dolph’s name was added to a grim list that has grown longer and longer over the years.

Although Young Dolph was born in Chicago, his rap fame is primarily related to Grind City. His music was a direct reflection of the roughness, darkness and pride of the very streets he survived and that ultimately took his life. His demeanor was country smooth and massive city southern elegant. And because it was a direct reference to Memphis, it was that city, as Young Dolph often told anyone who would listen, that turned him right into a Southern hip-hop deity.

Johnson’s conviction is something of a victory because Young Dolph’s family received justice. Carlissa Thornton, his sister, he spoke immediately after the verdict, thanking the court, the Memphis Police Department and her brother’s legion of fans for his or her dedication and support. But she did it while fighting back tears. Justice has never equaled peace. Justice never turned back time and resurrected family members. As necessary as that is, justice has never been equal to senselessness. The speedy trial was a masterclass in justice and one other brutal example of the devastating power of gun violence in America.

Cornelius Smith, who confessed to murdering Young Dolph’s murder. His testimony in Johnson’s trial proved to be its most electrifying and emotional element. Not only did he single out Johnson, but he also pointed to the late Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the older brother of fellow Memphis MC Yo Gotti, as the mastermind behind the hit. Although Young Dolph and Yo Gotti were once cordial and Yo Gotti tried to sign him to his record label, Young Dolph’s Paper Route Empire label was plunged into crisis. perennial beef with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (formerly Cocaine Muzik Group). Animus featured records (titled by Young Dolph’s venomous song “Play Wit Yo B—-”) and long-standing rumors of Yo Gotti’s involvement in numerous attempts on Young Dolph’s life, including 2017 shooting during CIAA weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Young Dolph’s SUV was reported to have been shot more than 100 times. This act prompted Young Dolph to directly address the focus of the aptly titled “100 shots” from the aptly titled album . According to Smith, Mims placed a $100,000 bounty on Young Dolph before he was killed in the January shooting.

Johnson’s attorney, Luke Evans, argued that his client was not guilty of the charges and it couldn’t be conclusively proven that he was at the scene of the killing. Prosecutors presented video and cellphone evidence that corroborated Smith’s claims, including phone calls between the two before the killing. Johnson and Mims also spoke immediately after the killing. These are legal facts that the jury found undisputed. What matters here – and what’s going to ceaselessly go down in the painful history of cases related to this very topic in Memphis – is how silly the whole scenario is.

During the trial, it was reported that Smith was offered $100,000 to kill Young Dolph, but was only paid $800. The Hitmen’s lack of cash shouldn’t be a brand new phenomenon. Duane “Keefe D” Davis, accused of murdering rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, he has been saying for many years that Sean “Diddy” Combs paid Shakur and former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight $1 million – but was never compensated. According to a former Los Angeles Police Department detective Greg KadenKnight then placed a $25,000 bounty on The Notorious B.I.G., which was split between his then-girlfriend and Wardell “Poochie” Fouse (who died in a drive-by shooting in 2003). It is unclear whether the full amount was ever paid. On August 12, rapper Nipsey Hussle’s older brother, Samiel Asghedom, he insinuated Eric Holder was sent to perform the assassination. Young Dolph appears to be joining this unlucky community.

The killers turned on one another on the stand, with Smith likely telling what he knew in exchange for future clemency when he stands trial for the same crime. As the Young Dolph family looked on, the entire city received a clearer and more painful picture of how much it had lost on November 17, 2021. It’s easy to say, and maybe more comforting, that Young Dolph “died for a reason.” The truth is that he died of something.

Young Dolph died due to street politics, which is simply too often solved with bullets as a substitute of even the faintest sense of brotherhood. Young Dolph died due to his pettiness. Young Dolph died over the promise of cash and a record deal that never materialized (Johnson, whose rap name was Straight dropapparently he was searching for a contract with Yo Gotti’s label). Young Dolph’s death is a microcosm of gun violence and its impact on rather more than simply the black community. Watching Young Dolph’s trial jogged my memory how deep the disease is and what number of would favor anything apart from a cure. Someone accessed Johnson’s Instagram Stories moments after the verdict was announced. “These niggas are taking criminal responsibility. I take responsibility on the street, whether I’m the biggest the keys can throw away before I even eat the cheese.” we read in a social media post.

Young Dolph’s life was taken away – more importantly, two children lost their father – due to this kind of mentality. This shouldn’t be unusual and that’s the tragedy. When the headlines disappear and Johnson’s name goes down in history as a thief of the worst respect, he can have to reckon with the proven fact that this mentality might be the reason for his life, in addition to the man he stupidly agreed to murder. The short time it took Young Dolph 22 bullets will replay in his mind for the remainder of his life. Over time, he will realize how unwise this decision was. Pulling the trigger but inheriting one other party’s beef when his future was likely removed from their priority list. This trial represented the value of Black lives and the weight of their responsibility.

In his 2014 street classic “Sermon” Young Dolph spoke about the mentality he saw in many individuals in Memphis and beyond. In hindsight, it is evident that it was a defense mechanism. He didn’t know who Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith were, nor did he meet them in the final moments of his life. However, Young Dolph understood that the very streets his music spoke about – the same music that attracts on hostility resulting from generations of economic disinvestment, over-policing, and the influx of medication and guns – were dangerous, and subsequently became ghosts before him. , he rapped. .

These lyrics and plenty of others in his catalog provided the unofficial soundtrack of the trial. The truth is, we may never hear Justin Johnson’s name again. His name will, by design, be “straight removed” from the cultural consciousness, except in the case of Young Dolph’s legacy. He shouldn’t be a lot a villain as he is a victim of a very American sin. One man dies with air in his lungs, the other lives ceaselessly and won’t ever have the opportunity to breathe again. The only more painful irony comes from those that have to select up the pieces of an image that can never be whole again.