Caitlin Clark and the WNBA Race Hype 🏀
Get the Point!
Let me begin by saying that while Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star and first pick of the recent WNBA draft, is a very talented basketball player and has drawn many fans to women's basketball, she is a rookie and FAR from dominating the pro game the way many of her supporters expected her to coming out of college.
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark
No, Clark didn't ask for those expectations, but they were affixed by some within the media (and on social media) after her record setting collegiate career. Such is the reason why each and every basket, assist, steal, rebound, and turnover that Clark creates will be analyzed over and over again for many years to come.
And while the jury is still out as to how great Clark will be as a professional, I submit that I wholly disagree with ALL notions that I keep seeing on social media that she is the modern day version of Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Jesse Owens, or Wilma Rudolph—Black athletes who experienced the WORST of American racism and still DOMINATED their sports during the era of legal segregation! These comparisons stem from the fact that Clark is a white woman playing a game dominated by Black women, the latter of whom have been branded as “haters” and “jealous” by many white sportscasters and enthusiasts, and even by some Black sports personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and LeBron James!
Case in point: Folks have been clutching pearls this week about Clark being fouled pretty hard during her recent game against the Chicago Sky, one in which she renewed on court acquaintances with Angel Reese, the LSU star who mocked her “you can't see me” hand over the face gesture repeatedly during LSU’s 2023 National Championship game win over Iowa.
Reese (right) and Clark during the 2023 NCAA championship game that was won by LSU.
Such commenters conveniently forget that those Jim Crow era Black trailblazers had to deal with FAR worse disrespect from opponents, fans, and even their own government leaders—not to mention the occasional death threats from assorted KKK and affiliated degenerates!
Reese and Clark very well could become the WNBA’s version of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two collegiate rivals who brought eyes and television revenue to the NBA when it was struggling in the late 1970’s…
In fairness, I don't think that Clark even sees herself in that kind of racial pioneering light, and I am certain that those who are making her out to be some type of "reverse racism" martyr do so not based on objective facts, but on their opinion based agenda to elevate right wing anti-Black backlash to some level of respectability, which it NEVER will be in the minds of people with a true understanding of history—and a base modicum of common sense.
And yet, as anyone who has ever played or coached a sport or activity can attest, Clark, just like Reese and the other members of their rookie class, must take their lumps, pay their dues, and continue to pursue their passion on the court—while thrilling old and new fans with their immense talents!
Ah the Pretenders! The ones pretending to care about the WNBA who want to make Caitlyn the "great white hope" of the sport! Now let me first say, the woman can ball! She must be given her props! She is a hooper and there is no argument that can say otherwise. I personally don't think Angel Reese is the best player in the league (that is actually A'ja Wilson) and she has room for development, but she has a fan base! And she has contributed to the attention the league is getting but so has Kamilla Cardosa, Cameron Brink, and Rickea Jackson. I will be the first to say that I don't like what at times looks like jealousy or evilness on the court. But if anyone has watched at least one WNBA game over the 27 year history of the league, you will know these women have been fouling hard, playing with intensity, and even throwing hands for years now! But the "great white hope" or as one joker said the other day, the "single, straight white female" phenom has a fan base and they don't like the tough play that she was protected from most of her college career.
Chuck, these white boys masquerading as WNBA fans are leaning hard into their subjective opinions. They are Cheryl Miller who? Sheryl Swoopes who?
They are so ready to trash these trailblazers and better players with their opinions that Caitlin is already the best player ever. It’s maddening because you can’t engage with people who refuse to accept that Black Women have and still dominate women’s pro basketball.