Cathy Engelbert “missed the mark” last season, and it seems to be happening all over again. While the league took ten steps ahead in terms of a record-breaking season last year, it was evident that it also took five steps back with people trolling players for race and sexual orientation. That is exactly why the WNBA launched the “No Space for Hate” campaign ahead of their 2025 festivities. It had an updated Fan Code of Conduct, AI technology to monitor online abuse, and whatnot. Yet, we’re just one week into the new WNBA season, and already, it’s that very same drama grabbing all the attention.

The spotlight? We do not need to tell you about that in detail. The league thought it struck gold by opening the season with a headline matchup between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark—two rivals guaranteed to draw massive viewership. And it worked. But the moment quickly soured. Instead of celebrating their talent, the narrative devolved into something uglier. Allegations have since surfaced claiming Reese was the target of racial slurs from Fever fans–serious enough that the WNBA stepped in and launched an investigation. As expected, analysts across the board have weighed in on the situation. And Engelbert and Co. find themselves scrambling for answers again.

Plenty has been said about the heated exchange. But what happened after has sparked even more conversation—and concern. When the officials reviewed the play and the camera panned to Reese on the bench, the crowd didn’t hold back. There were no signs of support—just loud, relentless boos. Then came the flagrant-1 call on Clark, and the noise reached another level. Reese walked to the line for her free throws. When she missed the first, the arena erupted in celebration. When she sank the second, the crowd flipped right back to booing.

Now, disturbing claims have surfaced that some fans crossed the line, allegedly directing racist remarks at Reese during the chaos. The WNBA has since launched an investigation into the incident, determined to get to the bottom of it. So far, there’s no solid evidence of racist remarks being directed at Angel Reese. One video circulating on X drew significant attention—its caption read, “Here is another angle as the Chicago Sky is running out to the court.” Not long after it was posted, a viewer commented, “I’m sorry, did I just hear the N-word passed to Angel?” Other fans quickly flooded the comment section. Some said it sounded like “monkey,” while some said it sounded like “Kamilla”.

So yes, while there’s no evidence, it’s not this thing that analyst Rachel DeMita chose to focus on. Instead, she has stepped up in defense of Fever fans, addressing another aspect of the criticism that’s been making the rounds. On her YouTube channel, Rachel DeMita shared her thoughts, saying, “I’m with the WNBA—I don’t want there to be hate either—but we have to let fans be fans. You have to be able to boo the opponent in an arena. I’m so confused. Have any of the new fans or any of the WNBA fans in general ever been part of any sport? Have they ever witnessed any sport? Have you been to any game on any sort of level?”

And she’s got a point. There’s absolutely no room for hate in the game, and the WNBA was right to launch an investigation if racial remarks were actually made toward Reese. But expecting fans to never boo players? That could be seen as a bit much by fans whose adrenaline runs high during the games. It’s professional sports, after all. Just look at the NBA playoffs this year, for example. An Indiana Pacers fan even brought their own clock to mock Giannis’ free throw struggles, and Nikola Jokic was booed while warming up 45 minutes before Game 7 against OKC. This kind of stuff is part of the game. If home fans can’t rattle the opposition, then what’s even the point of having a home court advantage?

Fans should absolutely be allowed to boo the opposition — it’s a classic part of the game, and Rachel DeMita stands firmly behind that. But hate? That’s a whole different story, and it has no place in basketball. The Indiana organisation agrees and has stepped up with a statement showing full support for Angel Reese. Let’s take a look at what they had to say.

Indiana Fever responds to alleged inappropriate fan behavior

Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines spoke out on Sunday afternoon, following the Indiana Fever’s season opener against the Chicago Sky and the WNBA’s press release about the ongoing investigation.

“We are aware of the allegations of inappropriate fan conduct during yesterday’s game and we are working closely with the WNBA to complete their investigation,” Raines said in the statement released by the organization. “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”

Meanwhile, Clark admitted that she could not hear anything of the sort amidst the loud crowd. “It’s super loud in here. Although I didn’t hear anything, I think that’s why they’re doing the investigation,” she said. “That doesn’t mean nothing happened, so you just trust the league’s investigation, and I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.”

It’s a shame that the Fever’s dominant 93-58 win over the Sky, powered by Caitlin Clark’s 20-point triple-double, has been clouded by these off-court issues. The teams are set to face each other four more times in the regular season, we hope nothing of this sort repeats. If any fans made direct racial remarks at Reese, they must face consequences. But that doesn’t mean fans can’t bring the heat and make things tough for the visiting team–that’s part of the game.