Fever’s Stephanie White admits mental health impact of toxic WNBA discourse
· Yahoo Sports
The Indiana Fever‘s season is on the line Tuesday as they face a 0-1 deficit in a three-game series against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. Coach Stephanie White spoke with the media before the series began on Sunday and was asked about how she and her team have been dealing with their mental health after the season they had just endured.
White talked about leading by example, using the resources they have access to and how the Internet turns into the news. She also wondered if it’s just easier to be a jerk these days.
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“Thank you for asking,” White began. “It’s tough. Certainly, my therapist helps. My family helps. I have the luxury of being able to sort of minimize what gets in. But, at the end of the day, nobody likes to be a subject of ugliness from the internet and oftentimes, what happens on the internet then becomes articles in the news now. We didn’t used to have that. It used to stay on the internet. It stayed on social media. And so, now, it becomes news.”
“I often say, It’s not hard to not be a jerk, but maybe it is,” White continued. “Maybe it’s harder to be kind, especially in the world that we live in right now, where it seems that it’s okay to call people names. It’s okay to bully and berate and degrade. It’s the world that we’re living in right now.”
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She also said that she tried to make sure her young players don’t feel alone.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way. But it is the reality that we’re living in right now, and mental health has to be a priority.”
White and the Fever play at 6:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video tonight.
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