Michelle Obama Weighs in On Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Rivalry
From now til the end of time, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will always be rivals, and former First Lady Michelle Obama is weighing in.
In college, Reese and Clark battled it out on countless occasions. And after dominating on the collegiate level for years, they were top seven picks in the 2024 WNBA draft. Unsurprisingly, they finished in the top two for Rookie of the Year, with Clark bringing home the award. They also made the All-Rookie team. If that wasn’t enough, in their first two seasons, the pair have each been selected to the All-Star game.
Naturally, a rivalry was formed. But by and large, however, it isn’t entirely a healthy one. Fans, at least to a certain extent, have made it contentious. To break down the root of their malign feud, Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, chimed in.
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it,” Obama said on All The Smoke Podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world.”
The 2025 season has only divided the two fanbases further. Clark’s numbers have been down this year compared to her rookie season, but the Fever are seemingly still playoff-bound. As for Reese, her numbers have gone up practically across the board, but injuries and the Sky’s inability to win either with or without her, have been accentuated all year long.
Obama, of course, hopes things change. She’s all for competition between two great players, but the theatrics that have taken place between the fanbases, in her opinion, have to stop.
“There’s the hate,” Obama continued. “But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
A graduate of Queens College, Hans has covered practically every sport you can think of. The NBA, NFL, Boxing, UFC, Tennis, MLB, even Rugby! His work has appeared in various places such as Bleacher Report, USA Today, Fox Sports, and FanSided. When he isn’t reporting or writing on sports, he’s watching it. He also enjoys boxing, lifting weights at the gym, and debating anything sports-related.