ESPN report: Chicagos’ Favorite player says the media is against her, ‘I know how y’all like to pervert my words’
“I’m just keeping it short and sweet.”
Angel Reese is tired of the press.
When the Chicago Sky rookie and Caitlin Clark aren’t being used as counterpoint by the media, they are misrepresenting her statements. Reese made a somewhat tense meeting with reporters brief and unsweet—at least, that’s what she claims the media as a whole is twisting them into.
Reese reportedly said to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Steve Greenberg, as reported by the New York Post, “I know how y’all like to twist my words, so I’m just keeping it short and sweet.”
This was in reaction to Greenberg’s questioning regarding brief responses, which, at best, made for an uncomfortable interview.
I have no faith in any of you. I’m only wanted to let you know, nothing fancy, she said.
That’s a significant increase, but not shocking given what happened off the court during Reese’s rookie season as a professional basketball player. She’s had about enough, whether it’s a referendum on the national media or the Chicago media locally.
Sports media personalities, such as Frank Isola and Skip Bayless, have openly questioned if Reese genuinely wants to be the league’s villain. They have also chastised her for coming across as “bitter and jealous” towards Clark during a recent press conference. While this isn’t the only reason Reese is wary of the media, it does explain why she declined to participate in a lengthy interview with Greenberg.
Greenberg wanted to move the discussion away from those narratives and focus on Reese’s experiences as a 22-year-old adjusting to the rigors of her new profession, even though a lot of the inquiries have been off-the-court in nature. In case the words from before didn’t adequately convey it, Reese had no desire to interact with Greenberg or the interview itself.
The interview went so well that Greenberg wrote, “The word ‘catastrophe’ quickly came to mind.’ A few questions in, it was evident that one- or two-word answers were the order of the day. And that something was wrong, even though Reese essentially had ignored a couple of questions by saying, dismissively, ‘I’m good.'” Greenberg acknowledged the unseen pressures Reese might be facing, implying that her circumstances are more complicated than a typical rookie experience. Sky head coach Teresa Witherspoon echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the possible costs of continual media attention.
According to Greenberg, Witherspoon stated, “I think sometimes we fail to realize what the athlete might think.” “What is she contemplating? What is her emotional state? It seems like there’s always something wrong with what she says when she speaks, so sometimes we just don’t notice that. Something about her actions is off. That appears to be the case. However, what counts most is what our team does together here.
Furthermore, Witherspoon had her own run-ins with the media.
Reese finds herself in a difficult situation as demand to control her story grows. It is yet to be seen if she can handle the spotlight or if it will always overshadow her performance while she is on the court.
