Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox defended her team’s fan base on Saturday, making it clear that she’s bothered by the accusations.
“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.”
Current and former WNBA players, though, very much disagree.
Former Fever player Brianna Turner, now a member of the Aces, disputed the comments.
“This is an unequivocally false statement,” said Turner, who serves as treasurer of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. “Players inside and outside the organization have repeatedly issued complaints with the Fever fanbase. While it’s not all Indy fans, it’s certainly a trend. To say the attacks have ‘no basis in reality’ is disingenuous.”
Former WNBA star Becky Hammon seems to agree.
“I think there’s a certain etiquette that both players and fans need to abide by, but clearly there’s something that gets- the lines get crossed, and it seems to happen here,” Hammon told reporters. “I’m not, I mean, like I said, I don’t, I can’t speak specifically to what was said or what was done, but I could speak to the character of our players and stuff that they deal with and, you know, the disrespect, whether that’s a word or an action, a gesture should be addressed appropriately.”
Cox, meanwhile, stands by her comments.
“I think there have been, obviously, during our playoff series, some narratives around our fanbase that just, frankly, are not true,” Cox said. “And I thought it was important to say that no one has ever violated that fan code of conduct. We take it very seriously. We understand that there is a line. People are held accountable if they cross it, and they should be.
“But we have a great fanbase. Night in and night out, I walk out and there’s 17,000 people cheering us on, and they’re spending hard-earned money to come here. There are little kids, boys and girls, who are being inspired by our team and by our league. So to be characterized in such a broad stroke is just not fair.”
The Fever fell to the Aces in Game 3 in Las Vegas on Thursday night.
