In the wake of Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox defending the team’s fan base, some of Caitlin Clark’s teammates are speaking out.
Two Indiana Fever players – Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell – have spoken out against the “toxic” language and behavior that comes from some fans.
“Being on this team to start this season, I was at the other end of those hate comments,” Boston said after Indiana’s season ended in a playoff series loss to Las Vegas. “I was at the end of every single thing that succumbed. They say they support the Fever and everything like that, but… they just said everything under the earth. That was a big reason why I took a break from social media.”
“At the same time it’s like now that the tables have turned and we started winning games, and we had something better in their opinion, then all of a sudden it was like love comments, ‘oh my gosh, you’re doing amazing.’”
Fever star guard Kelsey Mitchell had similar thoughts.
“Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard,” she said. “Playing with (Caitlin Clark) and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flak for just being on her team.”
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
A former Fever forward, Brianna Turner, said that it’s disingenuous to suggest that things like this don’t happen in Indiana.
“This is an unequivocally false statement,” Turner said. “Players inside and outside the organization have repeatedly issued complaints with the Fever fan base. While it’s not all Indy fans, it’s certainly a trend. To say the attacks have ‘no basis in reality’ is disingenuous.”
Cox, meanwhile, stands by her comments.
“The attacks on our fanbase have no basis in reality, and they need to stop,” Cox said, “especially with members of the media. … I’m talking about media who have never been to a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Every organization in the league, every organization throughout professional sports, all the way down to youth rec leagues, have to deal with occasional bad behavior from spectators. And anyone who crosses the line in an arena or online needs to be held accountable. I want to be really clear about that. There is a line, and people need to be held accountable if they cross it.
“But here’s the fact: We did not have one fan pointed out by a player who violated the WNBA code of conduct this season. Not one fan was removed from a game. … Our fans love this team. They’re going to cheer, they’re going to boo, and sometimes they might point. It’s a home-court advantage for a reason, and it’s the same for the Pacers. And all of that is within the code of conduct.”
