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'You can't see me': LSU controversy shines a light on Angel Reese and women's basketball

Women's sports are often overlooked, but all eyes have been on college basketball players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.

Alexander Jonesi/Wikimedia

LSU controversy leads to more eyes on women's basketball.

Even if you're not a basketball fan, it's been hard to escape March Madness, and the women's teams have been the talk of these internet streets. In fact, the NCAA women's final championship game between Louisiana State University and the University of Iowa raked in 9.9 million viewers, which is more viewers than the 2021 NBA Finals. And while both teams played one heck of a game, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese caught everyone's attention.

Reese, 20, is a forward for the women's LSU team, and Clark, 21, is a guard for Iowa. The two women have made headlines this season for their undeniable skills on the court but also their unapologetic ability to trash talk and take criticism in stride. ESPN had an entire segment dedicated to Clark's trash-talking skills, dubbing her the "Queen of Clapbacks."

So when Clark waved a hand in front of her face mimicking John Cena's "you can't see me" wrestling taunt toward a rival team, no one thought twice about it. That is, until the final game when Reese, who was aware LSU was up by several points and bound to win the championship, took the opportunity to repeat the move, only this time toward Clark. And the internet lost its collective mind.

Trash talking is part of the game, and Clark is one of the best players in the women's NCAA league, setting a record of 191 points for a single player. This breaks the record of both the men's and women's NCAA teams, so it's safe to say she's probably secure in her ability to play ball. But since Reese did the famous move in Clark's direction, people have been jumping to the defense of Clark and expressing their outrage at Reese's "unsportsmanlike conduct."

It seems people are weighing in across the spectrum, from athletes to political pundits. Even the First Lady chimed in a bit by not only inviting the winning team to the White House, which is customary, but also inviting Iowa. Dr. Biden has since clarified that statement.

As many people call Reese's behavior "classless" and "unsportsmanlike," others are asking why the two players are being treated differently. Many folks are pointing out that trash talk is part of the game and no player is immune, while it seems others are sharpening their pitchforks.

Through all of this, you may be wondering how Reese is handling this intense scrutiny over what was likely just a chance to pay Clark back for her history of clapbacks. Eh, she seems to be doing just fine, which also seems to be annoying the snot out of some people.

"When you're a champion, you're allowed to TYS: talk your stuff," Shaquille O'Neal told People.

The retired NBA player has been defending Reese all over Twitter, responding with the same energy as the naysayers, profanity and all. O'Neal even personally reached out to Reese to tell her to "enjoy being a champion," according to People.

But if Reese's post-game interview is any indication of her ability to look out for herself, she's going to be just fine.

"All year I was critiqued about who I was," she said. "I don't fit the narrative. I don't fit in the box that you all want me to be in. I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto. You told me that all year. But when other people do it, y'all don't say nothing."

The college baller's response hasn't changed much since her win. A TikTok video she posted in response has also drawn commentary from disgruntled internet users, with a professional women's athlete calling her out in a now-deleted video. But it appears Reese remains unfazed, as does Clark.

"She should never be criticized for what she did. I'm just one that competes, and she competed...I'm a big fan of hers," Clark told ESPN.

All of this attention has Reese trending all over the internet, garnering focus on the basketball star's bubbly, nonchalant personality and the sport as a whole. So maybe a little friendly trash talk is just what was needed to give women's basketball the attention it always deserved.

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A Muslim family got a hateful letter, and over 100 people answered it with kindness.

The Samel family immigrated to the U.S. from Sudan in 2010. They became naturalized citizens in May 2015 and moved into a new house in Iowa City, Iowa, that December.

The house had actually been built for them with help from Habitat for Humanity and as part of the city's National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of 9/11. The Muslim family — Amar Samel and his wife, Muna Abdalla, along with their four children — were happily settling into their new American lives, including jobs and schooling.

They'd been living in the house 11 months when Amar Samel returned home from a memorial service to find a less-than-welcoming note on the door:

“You can all go home now. We don’t want (a racial epithet) and terrorists here. #Trump.”

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

That was Nov. 11, 2016, the Friday after Election Day. Judging by the hashtag stamped on the end of the hateful message, the timing was no coincidence.

Unfortunately, when Samel called the police, they were not particularly helpful at first. According to Samel, the officer he spoke with on the phone declined to visit the house or take a formal statement and told Samel to simply take the note down and throw it away.

"This disappointed me more than the action itself because I was looking for kind of support," Samel told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. "Because the police obviously represent for us, represent somebody supporting you. The law. The power. So nobody’s above the law."

The police administration has since assigned a detective to investigate the case. The Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers also stepped in to offer a $1,000 reward for information about the culprits behind the note.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

But as word of the incident began to spread around Iowa City, the Samels' fellow Iowans found other ways to show their support.

Strangers and friends alike banded together to flood the family with neighborly love and true hospitality, sending them cookies, cards, flowers, and balloons and chalking affectionate messages on their driveway.

"I'm glad your [sic] my brother's best friend," wrote one classmate to the Samels' son, Mohammed.

"You are very nice people. You should stay," someone scribbled on the asphalt outside their home. "We're glad you're here!" another wrote.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

"You hear about these things happening, but you don’t really know if it’s true. When I heard people say this was their neighbor, it really hit home," one Iowan told The Gazette after dropping off a flower bouquet at the Samel family home the Monday after the incident.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

Sarah Widdick Shaw saw the Samels' heartbreaking story in The Gazette and shared it with the famous secret Facebook group Pantsuit Nation.

Shaw urged her fellow group members to keep the lovefest going for the Samel family by sending them even more notes, cards, and gifts through The Gazette, whose address she included in the post.

"I only hope that there were enough to make a difference for them," she said. "It's not much, sending letters of support, but gezzus we have to do something to counteract all this hate."

Within the hour, the post had been shared by more than a hundred people. Other users shared photos of their cards, letters, baked goods, and handmade gifts such as stickers and temporary tattoos. Some people even made donations to Habitat for Humanity because they'd helped to build the family's home.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

By the Monday before Thanksgiving, The Gazette had received more than a hundred cards and letters, all looking to be delivered to the Samels.

The family was overwhelmed by the support. When The Gazette asked if the family wanted to respond to this outpouring of support, Amar Samel answered, "Tell them we are OK. Everything will be OK. We are relieved by knowing that, this is life, always there is good and bad, but the good is always more."

Just a few of the cards received at the Gazette office. Image via the Samel family.

Recent events may have invigorated a new surge of hate in America, but it's inspired even more people to show how big their hearts can be.

"Hopefully the next generation will have more warmth in their hearts," Sarah Widdick Shaw said after seeing the response to her Facebook post. Though maybe that warmth is already there. We just need to make sure we're actively, openly sharing it for all the world to feel and see.

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A town is getting its first police dog in 20 years, thanks to a 5-year-old boy.

From stray to the sheriff's office, this pup's had quite the journey.

This dog's name is Bosco, and he's going to help solve crimes, in part thanks to a 5-year-old boy in Iowa.

In January 2016, Bosco will be joining the police department in Ankeny, Iowa, as part of its brand new K-9 unit. He comes by way of an animal shelter in Syracuse, Indiana, where he was taken in as a stray puppy. There, a shelter trainer noticed Bosco had potential to work as a police tracking dog and brought him to the attention of a police trainer in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bosco and his handler Officer Bret Lappin. All images via City of Ankeny/YouTube.

Local businesses and town residents donated toward the campaign to bring Bosco to Ankeny.

The Ankeny City Council set a fundraising goal of $20,000 to help pay some of the initial costs of getting the K-9 unit up and running. Thanks to all the donations pouring in, the Ankeny Police Department exceeded that goal and successfully raised nearly $30,000 toward Bosco's training and other K-9 unit start-up costs.

Bosco attends a press conference announcing his addition to Ankeny's force.

But it was a donation from 5-year-old Tristan Sommerfeld that helped put the campaign over the top.

When he grows up, Tristan wants to be a police officer. After learning his hometown police department was trying to raise money to give Ankeny its first K-9 unit in 20 years, Tristan decided to help make it happen.

"My birthday, a lot of people gave me some money," said Tristan to WHO-TV in Des Moines. "Rather than asking for gifts from friends and family, we asked for donations for the K-9 fund," added his mom, Amber Sommerfeld.

Tristan raised a total of $1,500 and donated all of it to make sure his local police department could get the K-9 fund off the ground by the time he's old enough to join the force.


5-year-old Tristan Sommerfeld joins Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec at a press conference.

Police dogs can play an important role in helping to find missing people or detect drugs.

"We've had some cases in the past where people have gone missing and having a dog that can track is going to be very helpful," said Bosco's handler Officer Bret Lappin.

And while the effectiveness of a dog's ability to help find people or drugs varies based on factors like breed, environment, and training, K-9 units are a valuable addition to any town's police force.

Tristan, Bosco, and Officer Lappin chat outside the press conference.

Check out Bosco's introduction below, and follow his journey on Instagram.

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