The WNBA has gotten unprecedented attention this year, which has led to much more criticism of its players.

Members of the Chicago Sky said they had never received so much hate and harassment until this season.

“I’ll be honest, it was tough. It was really tough,” Dana Evans said Thursday night after their season finale. “We’re professionals. We know that we can play this game, but when you’ve got people that’s steady bashing you that’s supposed to be our supporters, I feel like that was a little slap in the face. 

“That was kind of hard to deal with. It was really disgusting.

“But I always say God does not make mistakes, and this season challenged my mental to another level. And I feel like I’m going to be so much better next season just mentally, prepared for everything.”

Her teammate, Isabelle Harrison, held back tears while discussing the “bigotry and racism” she’s seen on social media.

“I’ve never experienced this much hate and harassment, this entire season.” Harrison said. “I get emotional about it. … It’s hard because it should have never been like that. You just want to play basketball. If it’s online, it’s online. But you now get tagged in it. I’m constantly having to block people, and people are just making narratives about you. It’s hurtful. And it’s hard to just focus on basketball. 

Chicago Sky forward Isabelle Harrison reacts after a foul is called June 16, 2024, during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jacob Musselman/For IndyStar/USA Today Network)

FEVER PLAYERS CREDIT CAITLIN CLARK WITH POPULARITY SURGE AFTER RECORD WNBA CROWD: ‘WE APPRECIATE HER FOR THIS’

“I appreciate the new eyes, but if this comes with hate and bigotry and racism and even people that look like me bashing me, keep it offline because it’s so hurtful, and you don’t know how that affects people. I just think that’s something that a lot of new fans should be mindful of, and we don’t want that to carry into the locker room.

“You just try to stay away from it,” she added. “Even when you’re off it, it still happens. I get so much support from it, as well, but when you get so much negativity, and you have a job to do … you just have to block it out.”

Sky rookie phenom Angel Reese earlier this month said she has been the victim of “racism” and “death threats,” notably by fans of Caitlin Clark. But Evans said even Sky fans have been critical of the team.

“If you’re going to support the Sky, support the Sky,” she said. “I feel like that was a big issue. It messes with your mental. I don’t care how good you are or what’s going on. You’re gonna see stuff, you’re gonna read stuff. But this, it made us better and a lot stronger up here.”

Chicago Sky guard Dana Evans dribbles the ball June 16, 2024, during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jacob Musselman/USA Today Network)

The Sky missed out on the playoffs, finishing 10th in the 12-team league. The top eight teams make the postseason.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

He’s a unicorn. A once-in-a-generation talent. A two-way superstar who has never met a record he cannot break.

Shohei Ohtani continuously delivers surprises and delights fans, reaching new heights after joining the star-studded Dodgers lineup. He created the 50-50 club, becoming the first MLB player to record 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in a single season.

In the new book “Ohtani’s Journey,” the Los Angeles Times’ award-winning staff take readers behind the scenes of Ohtani’s path from a rural town in northern Japan to success as an MLB pitcher and hitter in Anaheim before reaching unprecedented heights with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 160-page hardcover book, which sells for $45, is now available for pre-order, with shipping scheduled to begin on Dec. 9. If you go to the L.A. Times online shop, you can pre-order the book at a discounted price of $38 for a limited time.

When Aitana Bonmati won the Ballon d’Or last year, it brought a global spotlight to a player whose genius was crying out to be recognised.

Even now, it would be hard to argue that there is a better female footballer on the planet.

Over the past 16 months, Bonmati has won the Champions League twice and the Spanish top-flight, Liga F, twice with Barcelona. With Spain, she lifted the Women’s World Cup in August last year before adding the inaugural Women’s Nations League in February. Her goals and golden touch make her a leading contender to win another Ballon d’Or this year. Those skills have also attracted interest from the game’s biggest clubs.

While rumours of interest from Chelsea and Lyon were growing, the midfielder was working with Barcelona to renew her contract — one that makes her the highest-paid player in women’s football history.

This week in Barcelona, she spoke in depth with The Athletic, just a few days after signing a deal until the summer of 2028.

We met at Barca’s sports complex on the outskirts of the city, in a small room in the media centre. She arrived at lunchtime, hastily explaining she hadn’t yet had a chance to eat after a morning of training sessions and meetings.

Now 26, this has been Bonmati’s routine for a few years now: non-stop. But every day she drives back to her home in Sant Pere de Ribes, a small quiet town around 25 minutes down the coast. It is where she has lived all her life.

With a framed picture of the Camp Nou behind us — a ground she will grace again once reconstruction is complete — we talked about her renewal and much more.

We talked about her concerns that Spain’s domestic women’s league is slipping dangerously behind the WSL. We talked about the gruelling schedule for football’s elite players, and her belief that more should be done to protect them. We talked about the rival offers that came in as she weighed up her future — and her powerful connection with Barca and the place she grew up.

The Athletic: When and why did you decide to renew with Barca?

Bonmati: It was a process that started earlier than usual. In women’s football, you normally wait until the end of your contract and then you start negotiating. It was almost a year ago that my agent and I started discussions with the club. That says a lot about its importance.

In every conversation, there are difficult moments — or moments when you don’t agree — but both sides have been very respectful and everything has been handled internally, which I wanted. I didn’t want anybody else to know, and I’m thankful for that. Renewing now, at the beginning of the season, puts my mind at ease. I knew what I wanted and the club has made a big bet — for which I am very grateful.

The Athletic: There were rival offers. Were you tempted by other projects?

Bonmati: I wasn’t tempted to accept but I did listen. When certain offers are put in front of you, you have to listen and think about what is best for you. The priority has always been Barca, they have always come first. I always say that I like to listen and see what’s out there, but there won’t be anywhere like here.

I don’t know if there is another club in the world that moves as many people as we do. What we experienced at San Mames (when tens of thousands of Barca fans filled the stands for last season’s Champions League final victory over Lyon), I don’t know if any other club could experience that. We have achieved great sporting milestones and that gets people hooked. They are beautiful moments.

The Athletic: Which clubs were interested in you?

Bonmati: I prefer to keep that to myself. I don’t need to uncover offers from other clubs. I know I have received interest from several clubs and I am grateful. With Barca, we reached an agreement that makes us feel calm and proud. This is what has made me stay here, apart from the feeling I have for Barca.

Bonmati with her Ballon d’Or award in October last year (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

The Athletic: Your agent said Chelsea were willing to pay your €3million (£2.5m; $3.4m) buy-out clause. There was talk of interest from Lyon. Barca have made a significant financial effort to keep you. How do you keep your feet on the ground when you see that you can choose where to go?

Bonmati: I value everything that is happening to me. I am privileged. I have the power to decide where I want to be. This has been the result of a lot of hard work. I have worked very hard and I have suffered a lot too.

I always have my feet on the ground. I am a person who takes these conversations very internally with my people and my agent, Cristian (Martin). I always let myself be helped by people who know me well but the decision will always be mine. I have the personality to make it, but I try to listen to the people who love me.

GO DEEPER

How do you stop Bonmati? It doesn’t matter – it won’t stop Spain

The Athletic: Was your connection to Sant Pere de Ribes (where Bonmati grew up) and Catalonia important in your decision as well?

Bonmati: I’m a small-town person and I’ve been at Barca for 13 years. It might seem like my comfort zone. All this is important but the most important thing is the football level of the team I want to play for. I am an ambitious person and I want to keep winning.

Barca are a winning team that competes for everything every year. We have won three Champions League titles out of five finals played. This is amazing. I don’t know if right now another club could give me what Barca gives me on a sporting level.

Bonmati celebrates the opening goal in last season’s Champions League final at San Mames (Alex Caparros – UEFA via Getty Images)

I feel privileged to be at home, to have my people close to me and to be lucky enough to grow up in a great club that has made me the player I am today.

The Athletic: When you started playing organised football at the age of seven, could you have imagined achieving what you have already?

Bonmati: Honestly, no. I’ve been finding it along the way. I’ve been making my own way. I didn’t imagine myself being a professional player until I was 17. I was at Barca B and I saw that the club was starting to invest in building a professional first team. I’ve fought hard and my head has taken me to the extremes of hard work and never giving up. But I have not done this alone, I am grateful to the people who have made me better.

The Athletic: You talk about extreme hard work. Have you learned to enjoy the process?

Bonmati: I’ve made quite a big change. Before, I suffered a lot and I wanted to have everything under control. Now I’m not like that, although I’m never going to change completely. I am the way I am. Last year, I learned to enjoy every moment more. It gives me peace of mind, knowing that I am improving as a player, as a person. In the end, you grow up too (laughs) and learn to enjoy moments that are sometimes fleeting.

Bonmati made her Barca debut in 2016 (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Athletic: As an ambitious person at a club like Barca, how does it feel to be in a league that is below its level?

Bonmati: If I started to look at Liga F, without taking Barca into account, I wouldn’t have stayed here. That’s how clear I say it. It’s sad to see how other leagues are overtaking us at an incredible speed when we have the potential to be a top league — because of the successes of Barca successes and the national team.

If with these strengths we don’t have a sufficiently important league, it’s something to look at. We are stagnating, it’s not getting any better. We don’t even have a (main) sponsor in the league. What interest is being put into this league? Who is running this league? Maybe we should be more humble, take the example of the English league (WSL) and see how they do things. And in the national team the same. If the changes don’t come, it’s a sign that the people who run this league are not interested in moving forward.

The Athletic: What did you hope would have changed?

Bonmati: If I start I’ll never finish — and I’m sure I’ll leave a lot out. We have to fight to make it a more competitive league and that means fewer teams. We have to look at the exemplary leagues in Europe and see how many matches they play.

We are the league that plays the most games. When Spain-based players go to their national team, either with Spain or others, we are the most disadvantaged in the world.

Spain beat England 1-0 to win the World Cup in August 2023 (Elsa – FIFA via Getty Images)

Who cares about our performance so that we can shine in every game? In the Olympic Games, we arrived exhausted because we finished the league on June 15 (Spain then also played two fixtures before the Olympic tournament started on July 25). The United States went to the Olympics halfway through the NWSL competition. That makes us small as players.

The Athletic: There have been other hard times — like what happened after the World Cup in 2023 (Luis Rubiales kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the medal ceremony after they beat England in the final, igniting a dramatic reckoning with appalling attitudes towards the women’s game) and Spain players’ struggles for better conditions. When do you think was the hardest moment in the whole process?

GO DEEPER

Spain won the Women’s World Cup – but Luis Rubiales has made me ashamed to be Spanish

Bonmati: There is never a quiet moment here. You can’t just play football and that’s it. There are always things, you see that things are not done well. I can’t single out the hardest moment because there have been many. There is a lot of wear and tear and there is even more wear and tear when you see that there is still a lot to do.

The Athletic: Let’s talk about football. In the last two years, you’ve been seen playing closer to the box. Do you feel more comfortable there?

Bonmati: Absolutely. I’m more dangerous near the box than far away. The fact that I can be closer to end situations makes me a better player; I can help my team-mates, and they can help me to be better. Playing there makes me a better player.

The Athletic: You have been nominated again for the Ballon d’Or. What does it mean to you? How do you remember last year’s ceremony?

Bonmati: it was a unique day that I could share with people close to me. When I was little I remember seeing Lionel Messi lifting the Ballon d’Or almost every year and suddenly you see yourself there, with the creme de la creme of football. I’m proud to be nominated again. It says a lot about the great work that has been done this year.

The Athletic: How would you describe the art of ‘llegada’ (arriving at the right time in the penalty area)?

Bonmati: You either have it or you don’t. It’s an aspect of the game that I’ve played since I was a kid. I’ve grown up with it.

I consider myself a very skilful player who moves well in small spaces. In the last few years, I’ve been improving my finishing and (effectiveness in) the last few metres by speeding up the play, whether it’s by driving the ball or breaking into space. I try to be a complete player. And the team-mates I have here make me a better player. We all understand the same style of play and that helps a lot. We help each other.

The Athletic: What facets of the game do you enjoy the most?

Bonmati: I really enjoy receiving between the lines. I can accelerate the play by driving with the ball, that’s something that sets me apart. There I can find the last pass or the pass before the assist, which makes it easier for another player to give the assist. I like to help find these crucial spaces.

The Athletic: And at home? How do you unwind when the door is closed and the curtains drawn?

Bonmati: (Laughs) I just don’t have a lot of time. In the last few years, something I’ve missed is having a bit of a holiday. It’s something important to totally disconnect and recharge your batteries, but it’s something that players from teams that play in everything don’t have.

I would like to criticise the calendar and all the organisations that I think should look after the players more. I try to make the most of the time I have. I have times when I read more, and other times when I read less. I try to do things that are good for me, like meeting up with my lifelong friends in my town square. These are things that I like, that make me happy, that distract me and remind me of the Aitana I’ve always been.

(Top photo: Getty Images. Visual design: Eamonn Dalton)