Fever GM Amber Cox defends Indiana fans: Criticism ‘has no basis in reality’
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana general manager Amber Cox defended the Fever’s fanbase on Saturday during the team’s end-of-season news conferences.
“The attacks on our fanbase have no basis in reality, and they need to stop, especially with members of the media,” Cox said. “I’m talking about media who have never been to a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Every organization in the league, every organization throughout professional sports, all the way down to youth rec leagues, have to deal with occasional bad behavior from spectators. And anyone who crosses the line in an arena or online needs to be held accountable. I want to be really clear about that: There is a line, and people need to be held accountable if they cross it.”
Criticism of Fever fans occurred again in Game 2 of Indiana’s first-round series with the Las Vegas Aces. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson had an incident with a fan sitting behind the baseline, who shouted and pointed at her. She did the same to him. The fan was taken to the back of the arena before returning to his seat when it was determined that the fan code of conduct hadn’t been broken.
“We did not have one fan pointed out by a player who violated the WNBA code of conduct this season. Not one fan was removed from a game,” Cox said. “Our fans love this team. They’re going to cheer, they’re going to boo and sometimes they might point. It’s a home-court advantage for a reason, and it’s the same for the Pacers. And all of that is within the code of conduct.”
Former Fever player Brianna Turner, who now plays for the Aces, disagreed with Cox’s comments.
“This is an unequivocally false statement,” Turner wrote on social media. “Players inside and outside the organization have repeatedly issued complaints with the Fever fanbase. While it’s not all Indy fans, it’s certainly a trend. To say the attacks have ‘no basis in reality’ is disingenuous.”
Kelsey Mitchell, who had a career-best season with the Fever, said in her exit interview that playing in Indiana can be difficult at times because of interactions with some of the fans. She has spent her entire career with the Fever since getting drafted second in 2018.
“I don’t think people really understand how much we endure,” said Mitchell, who is a free agent this offseason. “Like, if I showed y’all my DMs about the hate and all of the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player, it’s a lot that goes into that. And those days are hard as hell.”
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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here