I am convinced Angel Reese is the most hated player in sports. Over the past few days, I posted two videos across my social media platforms. One was about Caitlin Clark’s resilience and ability to bounce back during a game. The other was about Angel Reese’s resilience and mental toughness during a game. The difference in responses was striking. On the Caitlin Clark video, people largely engaged with the lesson. They talked about resilience, confidence, and bouncing back from adversity. On the Angel Reese video, many people never addressed the lesson at all. Instead, they brought up her shooting percentage, called her a bully, and revisited past controversies. And it’s not just that one video. There are social media accounts dedicated almost entirely to posting Angel Reese lowlights. Fake Facebook posts about her regularly go viral. Fake articles get shared as fact. People seem eager to amplify anything that makes her look bad. You don’t have to be a fan of Angel Reese. You don’t have to think she’s the best player in the league. But when a video about mental toughness immediately turns into a debate about why an athlete doesn’t deserve credit, that’s worth paying attention to. Both videos were about resilience. Only one athlete seemed to make people forget the lesson and focus on the person.
