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INDIANAPOLIS — Athletes often speak in generalities as a defense mechanism. Instead of delving into a potentially controversial topic, or even addressing it, they provide non-answers, using clichés and pre-planned talking points to keep themselves at arm’s length.
Part of me would like to believe that this is what Caitlin Clark did Thursday morning when I asked her if it bothered her that fans were using her name as a weapon in the culture wars dividing the country. The Indiana Fever star guard didn’t close the door on the subject; she refused to even open it.
“No,” he declared. “I don’t see it. I don’t see it. That’s not where my focus is. My focus is here and on basketball. That’s where it needs to be, that’s where it’s been, and I’m just trying to get better every day.
Clark backtracked five hours later, telling reporters that “people shouldn’t use my name to promote these programs,” but the damage had already been done. Connecticut Sun winger DiJonai Carrington was among those who spoke out against his initial comments, saying about , misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and their intersectionality. “It’s all crazy. We all see the shit. We all have a platform. everyone has a voice and everyone counts.
I asked #IndianaFeverCaitlin Clark on directly about her name being weaponized for racism/misogyny (as Dijonai Carrington alluded to):
“It’s disappointing… Everyone in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve that same respect.” photo.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024
It’s no surprise that Clark initially tries to avoid the subject. She’s a freshman struggling to find her way on a new team in a new league, at a time when the shots that fell so regularly in college are now missing their mark more frequently. Instead of being the key man that contributed to her enormous popularity at Iowa, she’s sometimes benched in waning moments because of turnover issues.
But you can’t hide behind basketball when you’ve been anointed as the transcendent, rising wave that will carry the WNBA to greater prosperity. And you certainly can’t do that when people use your name as a vehicle to promote racism, misogyny, homophobia and other social ills. To whom much is given, much is required, in fact.
The topic is sure to come up again Sunday, when the Chicago Sky comes to town. Chicago players Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese were targeted by Clark supporters after separate incidents with Clark. Sky players said Carter and other team members were harassed at a team hotel days after he hit Clark in the hip on June 1. And Reese drew the ire of some Clark fans for mocking Clark during LSU’s national championship win two seasons ago.
But they aren’t the only women of color who have been attacked or marginalized by those who sought to defend Clark. Teammate Aliyah Boston deleted one of her social media accounts because she was tired of being bombarded by “couch coaches,” many of whom sought to deflect attention from Clark’s early struggles by pointing out Boston’s shortcomings.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson is widely considered the WNBA’s best player and a high-character ambassador for the game and its players. But when she responded that race is a “huge” factor in why black players haven’t received the same kind of attention or marketing opportunities as Clark, social media went into overdrive, with one person writing, “My advice to A’ja Wilson, instead of giving credit to this young lady’s popularity for running in a league where 60% of the players are black, you should thank Caitlin Clark because without her I wouldn’t know who you are or talk about your sport.
There’s a tradition in professional sports that high-profile rookies need to be tested. Veterans come down hard on them to see what they’re made of. It doesn’t matter what sport or gender. But when Carrington fouled Clark and taunted the rookie for what she perceived as a touch embellishment, much of the social media commentary was predictable. “Caitlin Clark was targeted by black players again Monday, this time in Connecticut,” one person wrote. “Suns guard (sic) DiJonai Carrington violently checked Clark and then taunted her after the obvious foul. The crowd booed. If the games were reversed, Carrington would have been ejected.”
Clark hasn’t commented, but I was curious about his feelings about people using his name as a divisive tool. His initial response Thursday morning: “It’s not something I can control, so I don’t spend a lot of time and thought thinking about things like that. And, to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it. Like I said, basketball is my job. Everything outside of it I can’t control, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. People can talk about whatever they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever, but I think, for me, I’m just here to play basketball. I’m just here to have fun. I’m trying to help our team win. … I don’t pay a lot of attention to any of that, to be honest.”
But is she honest? It must be said that Clark is 22 years old and faces enormous demands and expectations. This should definitely provide her with some level of grace. However, her comments were troubling because they lacked awareness and empathy towards Black peers who do not have the privilege of distancing themselves from the “isms” they are regularly confronted with.
Carrington likened his silence to luxury. I see it as complicity.
Maybe he didn’t want to address it fully because of the sensitivity involved? Or was he taking the advice of his inner circle, including advisers who might have believed it was more beneficial to say nothing? It worked well for Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, even as it sent the message that money was more important than morality. But the initial reluctance to speak out against hate and harassment was always going to be problematic in a league that is predominantly black and has a sizable LGBTQ+ population.
Coincidentally, her comments came the same day the Women’s National Basketball Players Association published an article in The Players’ Tribune noting how proud its members are of their history of fighting social injustice. “Our work has always been bigger than basketball,” she said at one point.
That’s why it was important for Clark to revisit his comments Thursday night, about an hour before tip-off against the Atlanta Dream. He risked losing the respect of some of his peers, especially at a time when more and more prominent white players are calling themselves allies in the fight against racism and homophobia.
It would have been obvious and problematic for a league that prides itself on inclusion and acceptance to have its most visible player stand silently on the sidelines when legendary WNBA guard Sue Bird spoke out in a 2020 CNN story, or UConn guard Paige Bueckers spoke out in her 2021 ESPYs acceptance speech, or former LSU guard Hailey Van Lith called criticism of her Black teammates racist last March, or Los Angeles Sparks freshman Cameron Brink said last week, “I recognize that there is privilege for younger white players in the league.”
No one is asking Clark to be a social activist or to be a prominent face in the fight for respect, but it is important for her to at least denounce those who might use her name to espouse hatred and division.
“It’s disappointing, it’s not acceptable…,” he said before warning people who use his name to push agendas. “This league is a league that I grew up admiring and wanted to be a part of. Some of the women in this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up. … Treating every single woman in this league with the same respect is just a basic human thing that everyone should do. Just be a kind person and treat them as you would like to be treated.”
It may have taken her time to express those feelings, but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that she finally got to the right place. It was a positive step for her and for the League.
(Photo: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
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