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In a shocking turn of events that somehow involves both the New York Liberty’s playoff journey and a recipe for terrible email etiquette, police are now investigating a menacing, homophobic email sent to Breanna Stewart’s wife. Yes, folks, nothing says “I’m a real sports fan” like sending death wishes via email after a hard-fought game.
The email in question, which must have been composed in the finest workshop of bad ideas, suggested that the couple “don’t deserve to live and I hope you both die.” Typically, this sort of heartfelt correspondence belongs in the depths of a poorly written horror novel rather than a professional sports timeline, but here we are.
Stewart, who is basically a walking basketball MVP machine, has her post-game woes compounded not just by her missed free throw that may as well have been an open invitation to despair, but also by the online trolls who apparently think digital hatred is the new six degrees of separation. This all happened after the Liberty’s Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, where Stewart’s free throw skills temporarily deserted her, leaving her fans awkwardly looking around for the nearest exit. Spoiler: they missed a layup of their own, as they were forced to endure the fallout.
The New York police Hate Crimes Task Force, which Page 1 of their handbook clearly states is not just for thrilling car chases and occasional high-speed pursuits, jumped into action on this case. They are treating it as a possible bias incident because, surprise surprise, hate has a funny way of manifesting itself when people forget how to behave like decent human beings.
Marta, Stewart’s wife, bravely filed the report after practice, indicating that someone had clearly taken “an aggressive email” a few steps too far. After all, when your spouse is one of the league’s top players, you expect to be debating which mascot is the scariest—not dealing with cyberbullying that sounds like it was lifted straight from a bad reality TV plot.
In a moment of sheer irony, Stewart, the two-time MVP known for clutch performances, found herself discussing the importance of reporting threats instead of focusing solely on the upcoming games. “You know, being in the finals and everything, it makes sense to file something formal,” she quipped, probably wishing she could file a complaint against the universe for bad luck.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert took a moment between games to address the rising wave of online hatred that players have been facing, like it’s some sort of yearly sports tradition. “There’s no place in sports for this,” she declared, as if sporting events should only be filled with face-painted fans hurling popcorn and good-natured banter, not veiled threats.
Meanwhile, as the Liberty gear up for Game 3, one can only hope they dial in their free throw strategy—perhaps while also enlisting the help of a therapist to recover from the internet’s deeply unsettling side effects. Because, in sports as in life, sometimes the best defense isn’t just a good offense—it’s a solid email filter.
So stay tuned: the Liberty and the Lynx will face off again, where the stakes are higher, the tension palpable, and the odds of a sarcastic tweet about free throws drawing ire have never been better.
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