NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The WNBA uses the new technology this season to crush the “hate speech” among its fans.
The League announced a new initiative entitled “No space for hatred” this week before the season boost. The campaign will include the use of AI social media monitoring tools which will help the league apply a revised conduct code.
“As part of the full plan, the WNBA deploys a technological solution fueled by AI to monitor social media activity, in partnership with players and teams, to help protect the community from online speech and harassment,” said the announcement.
PK Press Club Digital contacted the WNBA for more clarification on how technology will be used, but has not received an answer.
CLICK HERE for more sports cover on Foxnews.com
Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media during the WNBA 2024 draft on April 15, 2024 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York. (Melanie Fidler / NBAE via Getty Images)
A revised code of conduct of WNBA fans includes regulations for fans on social networks and threats to sanction fans of the official content if they are violated. The new policy lists racist, homophobic, sexist, sexual, threatening or defamatory content as “subject to blocking or deletion”.
“The repeated violations of these guidelines can lead to the fact that the offender is no longer able to follow our news, to comment on our messages or to send us messages,” said policy. “In addition, any direct threat to players, referees or any other league and team staff can be returned to the police and can result in the offender of all the arenas and events of the WNBA.”
The league is about to put these new training in place before a season that will see the Caitlin Clark phenomenon face the Rival Angel Reese on Saturday for their opening of the season.
Clark de Clark’s fever will face Reese sky on Saturday in Chicago at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, renewing the hottest rivalry in women’s basketball. The rivalry between Clark and Reese was a hot bed for intense controversy, often triggering racial debates, dating from their match during the NCAA 2023 championship match.
Reese castigated Clark fans as a “racist” and even alleged that they had created explicit images generated by the AI of the sky and sent them to the members of his family.
Inside Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s Impact on male basketball
Caitlin Clark, n ° 22 of Indiana fever, and Angel Reese, n ° 5 of the Chicago Sky, watched during the match on June 1, 2024 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Jeff Haynes / NBAE via Getty Images)
“I think it’s really only fans, her fans, fans of Iowa, now Indiana fans, who are really fair, they go up for her, and I respect this, respectfully. But sometimes, it’s very disrespectful. I think there is a lot of racism regarding” Reese in the first episode of his podcast in early September.
“Several occasions, people have made images I naked. They sent it to family members. My family members are like uncles, sending me like:” Are you naked on Instagram? “”
Clark had also been on the reception of racial comments throughout his recruit season in 2024, sometimes by figures in the consumer media.
Pat McAfee of ESPN called Clark as “B White B —-” during an episode of his television program at the national level on June 3 and apologized later. McAfee used the term during a discussion on the popularity that Clark brought to the League, compared to other players, saying: “I would like the media people who continue to say:” This recruit course, this recusal class, this recruit course “. No, call it for what it is.
In May, the host of “The View” Sunny Hostins said during an episode of this program that Clark’s popularity was due, in part, to “White Privilege”.
At the end of September, Clark herself was forced to combat allegations that her fans acted “racist” towards Connecticut Sun players in the eliminatory fever series last September.
Caitlin Clark, n ° 22 of Indiana fever, reacts against the Chicago sky during the fourth quarter of the match in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 1, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Connecticut Soleil Star Alyssa Thomas accused Indiana Fever fans of racist behavior to journalists after the victory of match 2, while her teammate, Dijonai Carrington, revealed on Instagram an email which she had received with racial insults.
“We were professional throughout the whole, but I have never been called the things I have been [called] On social networks, and there is no room for that, “said Thomas.” Basketball is heading in a big direction, but no, we don’t want fans to degrade us and call us racial names. “”
The WNBA then published a statement concerning allegations, and Clark was questioned on this subject during the exit interviews of the Indiana.
“They are not fans. They are trolls,” said Clark, interviewed on this subject.
“No one in our league should face any kind of racism, comments and disrespectful or hurtful threats.”
