Recently, there has been a lot of debate regarding Angel Reese, an American basketball player. After watching lots of game clips and going through the comment sections, there is no doubt that she has lots of fans and haters as well.
The debate is as a result of her attitude on the court during games. Many are saying she is so aggressive and immature, while others say that game officials tend to favor her sometimes, if not almost all the time, by overlooking fouls committed by her during games. However, her fans are saying that Angel is experiencing hate, or, in other words, racism, as a result of her skin color; if she were white, she probably wouldn't have gotten the ill treatment and hate as they tagged it.
Frankly speaking, I am a huge fan of Angel Reese and other great women basketball players out there. Being a big fan of women basketball and having watched lots of games and clips, I can say there is nothing to dislike about this young lady Angel or any other player, even though they may go overboard with their reaction at times.
For one, this is more like a hobby to them, and it's understandable that when you play a game that is of interest to you, you engage with it passionately to show that you are really into it. It is similar to being a passionate content creator; a passionate content creator goes as far as leaving their comfort zone and going over and beyond to make content to show how passionate they are about content creation, not just about the money.
That's just the case with Angel Reese. Her behavior during games is the result of the passion she has for basketball and winning, not any personal animosity toward her opponents or teammates.
Recently, she was drafted into the same team, Chicago Sky, with one of her longtime opponents, Kamila Cardoso. This means that they are no longer opponents or rivals but rather teammates. If the statement or claim that her behavior towards other players, especially her opponents, is a result of her hatred towards them does that mean she wouldn't want to have anything to do with Kamila Cardoso and would by all means avoid her at all costs despite being team members? No.
Even though players might fight during games, it is important to remember that they have lives outside of the game. Competing against each other doesn't mean they are enemies or make them enemies, it is just business. They're all there to earn their living and then move on.
While players may battle during games, they often maintain professional respect and boundaries for each other because they understand that it is part of the game and that their ultimate goal is to perform well and earn their money.
And that is just the case with Angel Reese. Outside the court, she has a great and admirable relationship with her teammates and opponents, and this is backed by one of the speeches she made during the Women's National Basketball Association draft (WNBA draft), she said, and I quote
"My first time playing Kamila Cardoso was on one of the biggest stages of my life when she played for Hamilton and I played for St. France in high school, and we battled, and now being able to be teammates is going to be amazing. I actually talked to her earlier and was congratulating her. I know. She just came off an amazing college career, so I'm looking forward to playing with her in practice and winning games.source"
In reply, Kamilla Cardoso said
"I think she's (Angel) a great player, and I'm a great player as well. So it's just two great players together, and nobody's going to rebound on us. source"
This statement justifies the fact that these players have their lives out of the games, and to them, it's just a hobby and business; they earn their money and walk away with no hard feelings for each other. And with these two great players on the same team, we are yet to witness another history of Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles. We can't wait to see what they have in store for us.
If you are interested to know more about Angel Reese, Check out this article by Wikipedia. Angel Reese
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image from Wikipedia commons