[chimera]

Reese's behavior at the end of the game was not a good look for her.

Would you have said the same if it was Brink doing it?

Absolutely.

What Reese did was revolting, and she kept repeating it, over and over, just to be sure she had been seen.  She should be disciplined for such an egregious case of unsportsmanship.  I hardly expect that will happen, though.

But Clark was guilty of some of the same, using the same taunt after Iowa's elite 8 win.  As Reese put it:

“I’m happy, I mean all year I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit the narrative, I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing,” Reese said.

I think she has a good point--I was not even aware of Clark's taunting since it was not featured as extensively as Reese's in the coverage.  And yes, there are some ugly undertones of race in the unequal treatment.

I am disgusted by these taunting displays and I will put that on Clark too.  If this is the future of WBB, I want no part of it.  

My most searing memory of watching this game will be the Reese taunt.  What a shame that instead of discussing some beautiful basketball, we are left thinking about terrible officiating, mean spirited player taunts, and that the national champs are a classless band of mercenaries with attitude problems.

Someone said earlier that this tournament has reminded us just how hard it is to win a natty.  Well, watching this, reminds me that there are things far more important than a natty, and that Stanford is fighting a very lonely battle to be successful without compromising on absolutely everything.

The other thing that happened was Rebecca Lobo made a fuss over that Clark gesture and made it sound like a fun, cool thing, which it wasn't.  If Clark was waving dismissively at a player to indicate she couldn't be bothered to defend that player outside, I feel that is poor sportsmanship beyond just trash talking and Clark should cut it out.  It is also stupid to do that because it can fire up the other team.  It would be the same if a MBB player did it.  The "you don't see me" gesture after a three that Clark made in a previous game seems a little different to me in that it was not directed at any particular opposing player.  It is kind of a mix of celebration with a little taunt in there. I'd much prefer players don't act like that. It detracts from how good Clark is that she does that stuff, for me anyway. 

What Reese did was worse because she was right near Clark and clearly trying to rub it in (sore winner), it was multiple taunts, and the timing was terrible.  Bad enough to taunt an opponent during a game, worse to taunt an opponent in the waning moments of a championship game you are about to win.  If Reese felt that Clark slighted her SEC friends or her own team, she got the best revenge, a championship.  It is a shame we are talking about this instead of the game.  

I read a few things from some who cover women's college basketball that said essentially it was just two tough, strong women being themselves or something like that, and everyone should be ok with it.  Sorry, being a strong woman or an opinionated one, or whatever doesn't mean it is ok to be a jerk (which you are if you are taunting your opponent or making fun of them in front of a crowd during a game) or a poor sport.  I wouldn't like seeing MBB players do that stuff and I don't like it when WBB players do it.

[chimera]

Reese's behavior at the end of the game was not a good look for her.

Would you have said the same if it was Brink doing it?

Absolutely.

What Reese did was revolting, and she kept repeating it, over and over, just to be sure she had been seen.  She should be disciplined for such an egregious case of unsportsmanship.  I hardly expect that will happen, though.

But Clark was guilty of some of the same, using the same taunt after Iowa's elite 8 win.  As Reese put it:

“I’m happy, I mean all year I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit the narrative, I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing,” Reese said.

I think she has a good point--I was not even aware of Clark's taunting since it was not featured as extensively as Reese's in the coverage.  And yes, there are some ugly undertones of race in the unequal treatment.

I am disgusted by these taunting displays and I will put that on Clark too.  If this is the future of WBB, I want no part of it.  

My most searing memory of watching this game will be the Reese taunt.  What a shame that instead of discussing some beautiful basketball, we are left thinking about terrible officiating, mean spirited player taunts, and that the national champs are a classless band of mercenaries with attitude problems.

Someone said earlier that this tournament has reminded us just how hard it is to win a natty.  Well, watching this, reminds me that there are things far more important than a natty, and that Stanford is fighting a very lonely battle to be successful without compromising on absolutely everything.

The other thing that happened was Rebecca Lobo made a fuss over that Clark gesture and made it sound like a fun, cool thing, which it wasn't.  If Clark was waving dismissively at a player to indicate she couldn't be bothered to defend that player outside, I feel that is poor sportsmanship beyond just trash talking and Clark should cut it out.  It is also stupid to do that because it can fire up the other team.  It would be the same if a MBB player did it.  The "you don't see me" gesture after a three that Clark made in a previous game seems a little different to me in that it was not directed at any particular opposing player.  It is kind of a mix of celebration with a little taunt in there. I'd much prefer players don't act like that. It detracts from how good Clark is that she does that stuff, for me anyway. 

What Reese did was worse because she was right near Clark and clearly trying to rub it in (sore winner), it was multiple taunts, and the timing was terrible.  Bad enough to taunt an opponent during a game, worse to taunt an opponent in the waning moments of a championship game you are about to win.  If Reese felt that Clark slighted her SEC friends or her own team, she got the best revenge, a championship.  It is a shame we are talking about this instead of the game.  

I read a few things from some who cover women's college basketball that said essentially it was just two tough, strong women being themselves or something like that, and everyone should be ok with it.  Sorry, being a strong woman or an opinionated one, or whatever doesn't mean it is ok to be a jerk (which you are if you are taunting your opponent or making fun of them in front of a crowd during a game) or a poor sport.  I wouldn't like seeing MBB players do that stuff and I don't like it when WBB players do it.