ESPN analyst Andraya Carter came to the defense of Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White, who has been targeted by calls for her dismissal because of how she handled the Sophie Cunningham-DiJonai Carrington situation.
Some fans, prominent media and Indiana Lt. Gov Micah Beckwith argued White should be fired for not properly defending Cunningham after Carrington, a Chicago Sky guard, clotheslined the Fever wing during Saturday’s game. White responded to her critics in a fiery statement before Tuesday’s game against the New York Liberty.
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“You know, this isn’t necessarily for those people that are in this room,” White said in her pregame presser. “This is more for an online community that’s trying to create narratives that simply don’t exist, trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am, of what I’m about.
“Our players’ success, our players’ health and wellness, our players’ safety is always a top priority for me. One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players. For those who have anything to say about the play in the last game, I didn’t see the play in real time.
“I take personally any suggestions that I don’t 100% always have my players’ back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time. All the time. They know that.”
Carter pulls no punches
Appearing on ESPN’s WNBA Countdown following White’s comments, Carter blasted those who called for White’s job, accusing them of “piling on” and being “fueled by hatred.”
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Additionally, Carter suggested that the loudest criticism is coming from people who are not invested in the Fever or WNBA as a whole.
“I think that’s the hard place about where the W is right now, is that when basketball analysis is led to someone’s character being judged or someone’s job being called for,” Carter began. “Because in reality, all of this emotion is coming from Steph White and what she said postgame about DiJonai. She said it was a flagrant 2 foul, she didn’t think DiJonai was going for her neck and that DiJonai is a player that plays hard. That’s essentially what Steph White said, and people were going crazy calling for her job because of that postgame statement.
“I’m so interested, all those people that were piling on and calling for Steph White’s job in this most recent week, how many Indiana Fever games have you actually watched?” she asked. “Are you calling for Steph White’s job because of who she is as a coach? Or are you calling for her job because you watched one clip and you’re piling on and you’re fueled by hatred and you’re finding a space to exercise something that’s not related to basketball at all.
“And that’s where we are right now in the W, and that’s why it’s so frustrating. You can’t just talk about basketball. And I look forward to the day, like Steph White said, when this is a space where basketball fans come to pick apart the game and the performances and come to celebrate the talent we have.”
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The beat goes on
Carter is right that the recent WNBA discourse, which has largely shifted away from the basketball court and into the interminable culture wars, has harmed the league. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that things are going to be changing anytime soon.
That’s a shame, because the W appears headed toward a potentially epic final stretch and postseason. If the current standings hold up, there will be an impressive combination of established veteran stars and promising youngsters battling it out in the playoffs, which should make for on-court action compelling enough to overshadow any controversy.
The post ‘You’re fueled by hatred’: ESPN personality calls out people ‘piling on’ Stephanie White appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
