"They're always looking for the negative side": Texas coach Sydney Carter discusses racial inequality in media coverage of women basketball players

Texas Longhorns Director of Player Development for women’s basketball, Sydney Carter, joined the Way Up With Angela Yee show recently where she discussed the difference in coverage between white and black female athletes.

Texas coach Sydney Carter at Way Up With Angela Yee

Last year, both Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark trash-talked their opponents. However, Clark was described as passionate about the game, while the former LSU forward was branded a ‘thug’. Sydney Carter commented on this:

“I think when you see it, you see a lot of the times when they want to cover black athletes,” Carter said (at 9:56 in the following video). “They’re always looking for the negative side of the story. I’m not saying that they don’t with anybody else, but that’s what you see most of the time.

“You see the black athletes in drama and so every time I’m looking at that, I’m like, ‘What about when Angel had a line of people out at camp waiting to meet her?’ Those are the positive stories that you don’t see too much effort put into.

“I feel like that’s what they need to start covering more when it comes to women’s basketball, with everybody not just certain athletes.”

Sydney Carter hopes that fans continue to support programs

The 2024 graduating class of seniors with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Paige Bueckers has brought the most attention to women’s college basketball in recent years.

The Women’s March Madness final this year between Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks drew 18.7 million across ESPN and ABC (peaked at 24 million) and became the most-watched women’s basketball game ever, while the men’s final had 14.8 million viewers.

As these players have transitioned to the WNBA, it is expected that they will carry forward this heightened interest to the pro league as well. As fans follow them on their journey, Sydney Carter hopes that they don’t forget the schools they played for as well.

“Since Iowa had Caitlin Clark, there are going to be more good players that want to go be just like Caitlin in Iowa,” Carter said. “So Iowa’s not going to all of a sudden just drop off after she’s gone. You have to continue to support.”

“If you’re a real fan of that team, then be a fan of that team. Don’t switch up and be like, ‘Oh okay, well now JuJu is in, so I’m going from Iowa to JuJu’. Like that’s fine to support her but also remain a fan of the team as well.”

What do you think of Sydney Carter’s comments on bandwagon fans? Let us know in the comment section below.