Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale addressed complaints about WNBA physicality, suggesting that those offended should watch golf instead.
After being fouled hard by Aces forward Alysha Clark, Ogunbowale commented on the increased physicality, hinting at public reactions to fouls on Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
“I don’t know how long you’ve been around the WNBA but this has been like this since my rookie year,” Ogunbowale said.
“I mean, obviously that’s what I’ve been able to go against but I’ve seen it since I’ve been watching the WNBA since I was young, literally nothing new. Like you get fouled, that’s what it is. The men get fouled, I don’t see people saying ‘Oh, why did he do this?’ It’s basketball, it’s gonna be physical. We’re gonna compete, some people might get knocked down, some people bleed and that’s basketball.
“It’s no different, man or woman, so nothing’s a surprise. I fall on the floor, Glory to God I get back up, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you do, and that’s just basketball.
“I don’t really talk about media, but it just kind of annoys me how they make such a big deal about the physicality because I mean, obviously the new people, they might be like, ‘Oh, this is tough,’ but this is just what it’s been. It’s basketball. Like I said it’s basketball. It’s not women being catty, it’s not this, it’s basketball.
“So the narrative has to stop of people doing this or doing that. Like it’s gonna be physical so if you don’t want to go watch this go watch golf or something.”
Arike Ogunbowale’s message to outrage over WNBA’s physical play: ‘Go watch golf’ https://t.co/UjEy2LEEt4 pic.twitter.com/R8pdyPvrVR
— New York Post (@nypost) June 6, 2024
