"Now y'all wanna address racism?" - WNBA fans berate league for announcing strict action against hecklers after Caitlin Clark's playoff exit

The WNBA sent a warning to fans in attendance to not berate or heckle players during games following an incident involving Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night. Fans are not happy with the league's announcement, considering such incidents have been happening for a while now, especially online.

In a post on social media, the WNBA denounced any fan who says any "racist, derogatory and threatening remarks" toward players. The league said that this behavior wouldn't be tolerated, and people who engage in it would be dealt with by security personnel and law enforcement officers at the arena.

"The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement, as necessary," the statement read.

Despite the message from the WNBA, fans online are not happy with the announcement.

"So y'all wait til the season is over and she gets swept to say a damn thing. Yeah that tracks," a fan wrote.

"Only took you guys almost the entire season to say something," another replied.

"Now y'all want to address racism? Mmmmk," a fan commented.

Late in the first quarter, Caitlin Clark complained to officials about a heckling fan. Security personnel approached the man, who allegedly made remarks about the Indiana Fever star, and discussed the situation.

"These new fans," a fan responded.

"It's a little late for that," another opined.

"Let me guess.. Indiana lmao," another fan remarked.

Fans berate league authorities for announcing strict action against hecklers after Caitlin Clark's playoff exit. (Photo: Screengrabbed from WNBA's IG account)

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert received flak from players and fans for deflecting the question about fan toxicity in an interview two weeks ago.

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WNBA star Alyssa Thomas calls out Fever fans

Alyssa Thomas expressed her shock and disappointment with some Indiana Fever fans who used racist remarks toward her. Thomas has been in the league for more than a decade, but it was the first time she dealt with something like that.

"I think in my 11-year career, I've never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base," Thomas said.

"It's unacceptable, honestly, and there's no place for it. We've been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I've never been called the things that I've been called on social media, and there's no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don't want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things." [H/T IndyStar]

The Connecticut Sun are heading to the semifinals to face the Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-five series. The winner will advance to the finals to face the New York Liberty or the Las Vegas Aces.