Caitlin Clark’s problem

Caitlin Clark is a problem, but I don’t think it’s her fault…entirely.

We all remember her rise to fame in the 2023 NCAA tournament. Her most notable moment that tournament was not her impressive shooting range, but her rivalry with LSU’s Angel Reese. Now, please remember that I am a journalism student, not an expert, but here is what I think happened.

Everyone needs a hero, someone to look up to. The NBA and WNBA are special cases where the country’s majority demographic is a minority within the sport. The truth is, there aren’t that many great white AMERICAN players within these organizations. Enter Caitlin Clark.

You may think that Paige Bueckers would’ve been a candidate for this position, given that she is an objectively more productive player. However, Paige’s issue lies with who she is and what she represents. Paige is a blonde, white player… with a black girlfriend. On top of her (adorable) relationship, she also has a black stepmother, a black little brother, and is outspoken on social issues. These are all things Larry Bird NEVER did.

Caitlin Clark is a “non-political” poster child. This is not at all to discredit her athletic performance; however, it is nothing we haven’t seen before. Caitlin’s specialty is her ability to capitalize on her fanbase. She will never explicitly stand with the racist comments from her fans towards her peers and even teammates. She will never publicly double down on her courtside meltdowns to her coach or her screaming matches with referees. However, she also won’t condemn her fans’ bad behavior or defend her peers. Caitlin Clark will never apologize to the refs or her coaches.

This behavior becomes dangerous when it translates to her on-court playing style. The flopping, flailing, and fragrant fouling is not an acceptable way to draw interest into the WNBA.

Anyways, Caitlin Clark was a part of the class to make women’s basketball mainstream, and as a former basketball player myself, I will always be thankful for that. But before you go to bat for a stranger in someone’s comment section, remember why you support them and evaluate what kind of person you have to be to resonate with certain narratives.