Topline
First lady Jill Biden walked back a suggestion Tuesday that the University of Iowa’s women’s basketball team join NCAA-winning Louisiana State University in a visit to the White House, the latest update in a contentious back-and-forth that began with stars of both teams, made its way to social media and landed at the White House.
Angel Reese of the LSU Lady Tigers reacts towards Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the … [+]
Key Facts
It’s customary for the championship team to make a visit to the White House, but Biden suggested Monday at an event in Colorado that both LSU and Iowa should visit, “because they played such a good game.”
Those remarks were widely criticized on social media and LSU star Angel Reese calling the dual invite “A JOKE.”
Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady’s press secretary, said Biden’s intention was to applaud “the historic game and all women athletes,” adding that the first lady is looking forward to celebrating LSU’s championship at the White House.
Key Background
Both Iowa guard Caitlin Clark and LSU forward Reese turned heads for their impressive performances throughout the NCAA tournament. Reese was named Most Outstanding Player Sunday and Clark scored 191 points in the tournament, the most ever scored by a man or women during a single tournament. With a fourth-quarter lead at the end of the game, Reese waved one hand in front of her face—a “You Can’t See Me” gesture originally made popular by wrestlers—and tapped her finger while looking at Clark, alluding to a championship ring. Spectators were quick to call Reese’s gestures unsportsmanlike, with former ESPN star and pundit Keith Olbermann calling Reese an “f****** idiot” on Twitter (prompting a dressing down from NBA great Shaquille O’Neal) and the word “classless” began to trend on Twitter. But the gesture was one Clark used herself earlier in the tournament without receiving any wide-spread criticism. Sunday’s viral moment led many on social media to point at the double standard for Clark, who is white, and Reese, who is Black.
Big Number
9.9 million. That’s how many people tuned into the NCAA Women’s Championship game Sunday, ESPN said, shattering the previous record of 5.7 million viewers set in 2002.
Further Reading
NCAA Basketball Champ Angel Reese Is Being Called ‘Classless’ Because She’s Black (Forbes)
N.C.A.A. Women’s Tournament Shatters Ratings Record In Final (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/04/04/jill-biden-walks-back-white-house-invitation-for-both-lsu-and-iowa-womens-basketball-teams/