Shedeur Sanders has become the Angel Reese of the NFL, thanks to his insufferable supporters
The Shedeur Sanders experiment and discourse has become toxic.Legitimate football criticism is apparently a microaggression, NFL general managers are supposedly conspiring against a young quarterback, and anyone who questions the former Colorado star's abilities as a quarterback in the NFL risks being branded more than a hater.
They're labeled discriminatory.If Sanders does not get the recognition, playing time or praise fans believe he deserves, those fans scream racism.A screen shows Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders after being chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick during the third day of the NFL football draft, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)That should sound very familiar to the way fans and WNBA media have treated the Angel Reese discourse.In my opinion, Sanders has become the Angel Reese of the NFL, not necessarily because of anything the athletes themselves have done on the court or field, or in the media, but because of the exhausting victimhood narratives pushed by some of their most devoted supporters.The similarities are uncanny.Criticize Sanders' decision-making, pocket presence, pre-draft interviews or news conferences? You're racist.Question Reese's offensive efficiency, shot selection or how she compares to Caitlin Clark? Prepare for accusations of racial bias.And heaven forbid you suggest another quarterback deserves an opportunity over Sanders or that Clark is simply a better, more exciting basketball player.For certain corners of sports social media, everything must be viewed through a racial lens.
Black versus white.Oppressor versus oppressed.
Victim versus villain.They're obsessed with race.It's exhausting, and some prominent sports media personalities have helped pour gasoline on the fire.Angel Reese of LSU reacts toward Caitlin Clark of Iowa during the fourth quarter of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on ...