Two-time WNBA All-Star Renee Montgomery has recently come under scrutiny following comments she made on her podcast. The Atlanta Dream co-owner and vice president criticized a certain group of fans supporting Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Montgomery accused these “stans” of crossing ethical lines, particularly in their treatment of Clark’s rival, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. She even claimed that some Clark supporters had created fake nude images of Reese. On a recent episode of her podcast “Montgomery & Company,” she compared it to a diehard Falcons fan making inappropriate AI-generated photos of Saints players and sending them to the players’ families.
How do you know they were Caitlin fans? Y'all assume too much and cast blame in PURE IGNORANCE!! There are plenty of weidos out there. Please refrain from stupid blaming when no one really knows from where it came. Does Reese even know?
— Publius87 (@Publius871) September 17, 2024
Montgomery’s bold statements quickly went viral, with many social media users agreeing that such behavior is unacceptable. However, others criticized her for generalizing and blaming Clark’s fanbase.
This is incredibly irresponsible rhetoric coming from a TEAM OWNER
Comparing the CC fan base to dogs in the twitter caption
Saying "Y'all not like us, they not like us"
I agree with your central thesis – racism, sexism, misogyny, death threats have no place in fandom…
— CC Report (@cc22report) September 17, 2024
“How do you know they were Caitlin fans? There are plenty of weirdos out there. Stop blaming without facts,” one user commented.
Another said, “This is irresponsible for a team owner. I agree that racism, sexism, and harassment shouldn’t exist in fandoms, but this issue isn’t unique to Caitlin’s fans. She’s been victimized too.”
Others pointed out that these individuals are likely online trolls seeking attention, rather than true fans. “This behavior sucks, but talking about it just gives them more of what they want—attention,” said another commenter.
Many felt Montgomery was unfairly labeling a large fanbase due to the actions of a few, while also noting that Caitlin Clark herself has faced similar attacks. Despite the division, one thing is clear: this kind of behavior, no matter who it targets, is unacceptable.