The resurfacing of a social media post by Caitlin Clark, a women’s basketball star, welcoming Taylor Swift to the Kansas City Chiefs’ fan family has garnered her a new following among Swift fans. This comes after a controversial podcast episode hosted by her rival, Angel Reese, featured Kayla Nicole discussing her past relationship with Chiefs star Travis Kelce. Nicole expressed feeling hurt by the hate she has received since Kelce started dating Swift. Clark and Reese are renowned figures in women’s basketball, with fans of both players often engaging in social media attacks against each other.
Reese has spoken out about receiving death threats and explicit images from Clark’s fans, calling out the racism and disrespect she has faced. The podcast episode featuring Nicole discussing her relationship with Kelce sparked a new wave of debate and criticism against Reese for hosting her. Nicole is not the first woman linked to a Chiefs player who has faced backlash from Swift fans, as Brittany Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ wife, was attacked online for liking a post from Donald Trump’s Instagram account. The online attacks thrust Mahomes and her husband into the national political conversation.
Many Swift fans have turned to Clark after the controversy surrounding Reese’s podcast episode, aligning themselves with the basketball star who had previously shown support for Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris. Clark emphasized the importance of using her platform to encourage Americans to vote, without explicitly endorsing a political candidate. The fan base of the Indiana Fever, Clark’s team, has also faced accusations of racism and negative behavior from WNBA players, leading Clark to label some of them as trolls rather than true fans during the Fever’s exit interviews.
Clark and Reese, despite their on-court rivalry, have maintained a respectful demeanor towards each other in interviews and press conferences. However, their respective fan bases have engaged in online attacks and harassment against each other, fueling the ongoing controversy and animosity between the supporters of the two players. As the spotlight on Clark grows due to her newfound popularity among Swift fans, the dynamics of the rivalry between her and Reese are likely to evolve further, with social media playing a significant role in shaping the narrative surrounding these athletes.
