>> MAYOR-ELECT BRANDON JOHNSON GIVING HIS VICTORY SPEECH EARLIER THIS WEEK.

IT WAS THE MOST-WATCHED NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL IN TELEVISION HISTORY.

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY BEATING THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA IN THE WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BUT WHAT GOT ALL THE ATTENTION WAS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST FEW SECONDS OF THE GAME.

LSU STAR ANGEL REESE MADE A FEW COMMENTS AT ANOTHER PLAYER, WITH THE "YOU CAN'T SEE ME" GESTURE TO CLARK, WHO IS WHITE.

JOINING US NOW ARE A SPORTS CONSULTANT AND FOUNDER OF THE NON-PROFIT "GROW TO GAIN" ABOUT INCREASED INVOLVEMENT IN WOMEN'S SPORTS, AND ANDREA WILLIAMS, HEAD COACH OF THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM AT CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY AND BRANDON POPE, REPORTER AT CW 26 CHICAGO AND PODCAST HOST AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS, CHICAGO CHAPTER.

WELCOME BACK, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

SOME OF THE BACKLASH AGAINST ANGEL REESE INVOLVED SOME FAIRLY UGLY NAME CALLING.

SHE IS A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE AT LSU.

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION?

>> I WAS UPSET.

I WASN'T SURPRISED.

BUT I MEAN, I CAN'T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND HOW MANY GROWN ADULTS CAN TAKE -- REAL, IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS, IT'S A BASKETBALL GAME, A GREAT GAME BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY FOCUS ON.

>> MALE AND FEMALE, AND THEY WERE MAKING IT ABOUT SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS, AND ITWAS TWO COMPETITORS, COMPETING.

THE FINAL GAME, THEY WANTED TO WIN, AND THEY BOTH HAD GREAT RUNS, AND BOTH HAD DONE THE GESTURE, AND YOU ARE SEEING THE BACKLASH FROM ONE SIDE AND HOW THEY GREW FROM IT AND THE GREAT RESPONSES TO THE ADULTS, AND MAYBE SOME DIFFERENT REACTIONS MAYBE ON TWITTER.

>> I CAN'T PLAY MUCH SPORTS, BUT I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THAT TAUNTING A BIT IS PART OF THE GAME.

>> I WOULD SAY, YES, AND I WOULD SAY MORE THIS GENERATION, YOU KNOW, AND WE ARE GOING TO EMULATE SOMETHING THAT IS COOL AND BOTH PLAYERS COULD BACK IT UP.

IT WAS GREAT TO SEE FOR THE GAME, THE ATHLETICISM AND WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE, AND PEOPLE WANT TO CHIME IN AT THE LAST SECOND WITH THE NINE MILLION VIEWERS THAT WERE ALREADY WATCHING OUR SPORT.

THAT'S THE DISAPPOINTING PART.

>> BRANDON POPE, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THAT?

>> NOT SURPRISED BUT DISAPPOINTED FOR SURE.

I AM A BIG SPORTS GUY, COVERAGED IT FOR A WHILE AND THIS IS WHAT THEY DO, AND THIS IS WHAT MAKES SPORTS GREAT, THE GREAT INTENSITY, AND PEOPLE ACTED LIKE THEY HAD NEVER SEEN A SPORTING EVENT IN THEIR LIFE, AND IT WAS THE SAME OLD THAT WE WERE FIGHTING FOR YEARS AND DECADES.

WE HAVE TO DO BETTER NOT JUST FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BUT SOCIETY AND THIS IS NOT RIGHT THE WAY THAT THE DIALOGUE HAS GONE.

>> HOW DO YOU THINK THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY IN SPORTS?

>> I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A LONG ENOUGH SEGMENT FOR THAT.

BUT FIRST, I WANT TO SAY ALREADY WOMEN ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY.

SO WE WOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

WE DON'T HEAR ABOUT IT.

BUT BLACK WOMEN ARE NOT GIVEN THE SAME FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.

THEY CAN'T DO THE SAME MOVES.

THEY ARE ALLOWED MORE CONTACT WHERE HAVE NON-BLACK PLAYERS PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A WHISTLE.

THEY HAVE TO BE TOO FEMININE.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO LIVE UP TO THE STANDARDS.

>> THIS WAS MOST-WATCHED WOMEN'S GAME IN NCAA HISTORY, AND THIS WAS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED.

THIS WAS AT THE END OF THE GAME BUT WHAT CHANGED GET SO MANY PEOPLE TO TUNE IN?

>> PART OF IT, THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1965 THAT UCONN, TENNESSEE, OR STANFORD WAS NOT IN THE FINAL FOUR, AND YOU HAD NEWCOMB COMPETITORS, AND NEW COACHES AND TEAMS AND ANGEL REESE LOVES SEIMONE AUGUSTUS.

AND YOU HAVE CAITLIN CARTER LOOKING UP TO LINDSAY WHALEN, AND IT WAS JUST THAT WHOLE GENERATION OF COMING TOGETHER TO WATCH THE EXCITEMENT AND HAVE A NEW CROWNED CHAMPION AND ATHLETICISM, AND I WANTED TO SEE CAITLIN CLARK SHOOT AND SHOOT AND REFUSE IT AND SHOOT AND SEE ANGEL REESE GET TO THE RIM AND DO WHAT SHE DOES WELL, AND IT WAS GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AND WHAT WE CAN CARRY FORTH.

THE STARS, THEY SHOWN.

>> AND IN AN INTERVIEW, CLARK SAID LATER THAT SHE DOESN'T THANK ANGEL REESE SHOULD BE CRITICIZED.

DOES THAT EVEN MATTER?

>> NO IT SHOULDN'T, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SHE WAS ASKED THAT QUESTION WHEN SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RECEIVING HER AWARD, AND THERE WAS BACKLASH, ANDINNED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BUT TO ASK HER THAT QUESTION ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU KNOW IT'S NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ANGEL REESE NOT TO COME AND SPEAK AS L FOR ME, IT WAS THE NEED FOR WHITE VALIDATION.

IF WE ALL SAID THAT IT WAS FINE AND ANGEL SAID IT WAS FINE, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH, AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE ASK CAITLIN CLARK TO END THE CONVERSATION.

>> BRANDON, AS YOU SAID, YOU COVER SPORTS A LOT.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A LITTLE BIT.

RIGHT?

EARLIER THIS WEEK, WE HEARD THE FIRST LADY JILL BIDDEN SUGGESTED THAT BOTH TEAMS SHOULD JOIN HER AT THE WHITE HOUSE BECAUSE IT WAS A HISTORIC GAME.

WHAT WAS THE REACTION TO THE IDEA?

>> THE REACTION WAS POLARIZING WITH ANGEL REESE SAYING THAT AIN'T HAPPENING AND A WAVE OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS SAYING THIS MAKES NO SENSE.

WHY?

IF IOWA WOULD HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP, DO YOU THINK JILL BIDEN WOULD BE INVITING LSU TO COME TO THE WHITE HOUSE?

NO, NOT AT ALL.

NOW, IT MAY HAVE BEEN A -- AN OVERALL GOOD GESTURE FROM JILL BIDEN SUPPORTING WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, BUT IN THE WIN, THE WINNERS ARE GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE, AND I THINK IT SPEAKS TO A WIDER WAY THAT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS COVERED.

AND IT HAS TO CHANGE.

WE CAN'T HAVE ONE PLAYER OR ONE TEAM WITH ONLY ONE TO SHINE WHEN IN REALITY YOU LOOK AT THE NFL AND THE NBA, IT'S A LEAGUE OF STARS AND TEAMS, AND WE UNDERSTAND WHEN THE TEAMS SUCCEED, WE GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITIES BY GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

THE SAME SHOULD APPLY IN BASKETBALL, AND, OF COURSE, THE BACKLASH WAS SWIFT AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

>> COACH, HOW DO YOU DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR PLAYERS?

WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM?

>> YOU WATCH THE GAME, AND WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE POLARIZATION FROM THE SHUTDOWN AND GEORGE FLOYD, WHICH I FULLY UNDERSTAND, AND IT WILL TRICKLE TOGETHER WITH SPORTS AND IT TURNS INTO A BLACK-WHITE ISSUE OR THIS TEAM AND THAT TEAM AND TWO DIFFERENT STYLES BUT IT WILL BRING MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT INVESTED IN THE GAME HAVE A SAY ON TWITTER, THE LITTLE TWITTER WARRIORS, AND THAT'S THE MAIN THING WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.

OUR TEAM DOES WHAT THEY DO THERE AND THAT TEAM DOES WHAT THEY DO WELL, AND WE WILL GO WITH THAT ASPECT, AND NOW, ANGEL REESE IS THE BAYOU BARBIE, AND THREE OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO GET THE BAYOU BARBIE ON TWITTER, AND COACHES AND PLAYERS ARE EMULATING WHAT SHE IS DOING.

AND NIL, IT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT AND BLACK AND WHITE, WHAT THEY WERE DOING IS GOOD FOR THE GAME, AND THE YOUNG KIDS ARE GROWING IN THAT CORRECTION.

>> WE HAVE ABOUT 20 SECONDS LEFT.

WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S SPORTS?

>> IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD, THEN DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD, START WHAT YOU CAN DO.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO START NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

JUST SHOW UP, SUPPORT, BRING A FRIEND AND SAY NICE THINGS OR