"Completely biased and inept": Aces fans slam Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo's commentary for allegedly favoring Fever

ESPN announcers Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo came under fire during the Las Vegas Aces game against the Indiana Fever on Friday. The duo was slammed by Aces fans who claimed that their commentary allegedly favored the Fever during the broadcast.

This biased commentary was first highlighted by a fan on X (formerly Twitter), urging ESPN to "never" include the duo on the WNBA commentary team.

"Hey @espn we NEVER EVER want to hear Ryan and Rebecca again. Ever," she wrote.

The tweet quickly caught the attention of Aces fans, who echoed the biased claims and amplified the post by retweeting it in support.

Although many fans were unhappy with the commentary, some showed their support for Ryan Ruocco.

Fans expressed their outrage over the commentary provided by the ESPN duo during the Las Vegas Aces' visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals. The game was highly competitive and could have gone either way, eventually resulting in a 84-72 victory for the Fever.

Many believed that the Fever were heavily favored during the broadcast, while the Aces were overlooked by Ruocco and Lobo despite the game being competitive. Although ESPN will likely continue featuring the duo in future broadcasts, Aces fans won’t have to worry about them in Game 4, as that game is scheduled to be televised nationally on the ABC network.

The Aces are one game away from elimination and must win on Sunday, regardless of perceived biased commentary.

Rebecca Lobo once called out refs for not calling fouls for Fever while commentating alongside Ryan Ruocco

During a July WNBA matchup between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever, ESPN commentator Rebecca Lobo criticized referees for failing to call fouls on Caitlin Clark.

Calling the game alongside Ryan Ruocco, Lobo publicly questioned the officials’ decision-making on live television.

"Look at the ballhandler. There’s a grab. There’s a hold. There’s another grab. I mean, all of those are fouls. Every single one of them. And here, that’s a foul and finally they call it," she expressed.

Lobo's statement stemmed from a play involving JJ Quinerly and Myisha Hines-Allen, who escaped multiple fouls on Clark during a single play.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Bhargav