South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley is catching serious flak this weekend after she called out a WNBA reporter for what she deemed an inappropriate mention of one of her former players. The exchange, which unfolded on social media, has sparked a firestorm of criticism from fans and media members alike, with many accusing Staley of a "gross misuse of her platform."
It all started when the Golden State Valkyries made the tough decision to cut former Iowa star Kate Martin from their roster. Martin, who averaged a career-high 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season, was the odd woman out as Kaitlyn Chen and Laeticia Amihere secured the final two spots. CBS Sports Bay Area reporter Matt Lively broke the news, noting that while the move made sense from a team-needs perspective, Martin's massive fan base made her a tough player to let go.
“Kate Martin is the final cut from the Valkyries,” Lively reported. “They opt to keep Kaitlyn Chen and Laeticia Amihere over Martin. The move makes sense in terms of need but Martin is an incredibly popular player with a fan base that shows up in every city.”
Staley, who coached Amihere at South Carolina, didn't take kindly to Lively's framing. In a tweet directed at the reporter, she wrote, “Not cool to actually use other players names specifically Laeticia Amihere for your personal preface. I hope if you cover the Valkyries you can unbiasedly do so moving forward.” The post immediately drew a wave of backlash, with many arguing that Lively was simply doing his job by reporting on a competitive roster battle.
“WNBA players shouldn’t be treated with kid gloves,” said Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. “There’s nothing wrong with a reporter specifying that there were three players for two spots.” Others echoed that sentiment, including Nathan Canilao of Bay Area News Group, who wrote, “All respect to the Dawn, but personally I think this is uncalled for. @mattblively is one of the best in the biz and he was simply pointing out the roster crunch.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. Matt Zimmer commented, “There is a disconnect with people who advocate and request more/better coverage of women’s sports but then get testy when the coverage is actual journalism and not fawning praise and propaganda.” One user, ValkyriesMuse, summed up the frustration: “This is wildly inappropriate from Dawn Staley and frankly a gross misuse of her platform. Competition for the last 2 spots was between the 3 aforementioned players, hence reported as such. Why go at a them for doing their job?”
Staley’s outburst comes at a time when the sports world is already buzzing over other controversies, including top recruit Tyran Stokes under fire for flaunting cash on social media. But unlike that situation, Staley’s critics are largely coming from within the media and fan communities who value honest reporting over protective gestures.
It remains to be seen whether Staley will walk back her comments or double down. For now, the Hall of Fame coach is taking an L in the court of public opinion, with many calling her response both unnecessary and damaging to the very women’s sports coverage she claims to champion.
As the offseason rolls on, this incident serves as a reminder that even the most respected figures in college basketball can find themselves on the wrong side of a debate about how the game is covered. For now, Staley’s legacy takes a hit as the sports world watches to see if she’ll apologize or stand her ground.
