ESPN personality Pat McAfee called Caitlin Clark a “white bitch” during a segment where he slammed critics who claim Clark’s success is due to race.
After talking about how the rivalry between Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese has now spilled over into the professional ranks, and the brutal hard foul that Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter committed against Clark, McAfee launched into a discussion about the perception that the WNBA’s meteoric rise is due to the “level” of its current crop of rookies.
“I’m not going to say anything about the players on the court,” McAfee said. “Players are players. If they think they’re going to get on someone’s nerves by punching them or saying stupid things, they’re going to do what they want to do.”
A closer look at Caitlin Clark’s current WNBA situation#PMSLive #Journalism pic.twitter.com/7Z96TEemLN
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 3, 2024
“But I would say to the sports media and former WNBA players: There seems to be this idea that the WNBA’s success and popularity has only grown as much as it has because of the rookies, but maybe that’s wrong. When Chicago’s Chennedi Carter goes to Kaitlyn, you see Angel Reese get excited and celebrate. I think that’s because she thinks Angel Reese deserves more recognition than she gets. Kaitlyn’s getting all this recognition and you hear a lot of sports media say, ‘It’s all because of the rookies, it’s the next generation that’s why this is happening.’ It’s funny.”
McAfee then presented a prepared presentation outlining the current crop of new talent and their impact on viewership, ratings and more.
“I don’t like it when people in the media keep saying, ‘This freshman class, this freshman class, this freshman class,'” McAfee said. “No, tell it like it is: They have one superstar white woman on that Indiana team. Is it because she stayed in Iowa, carried the whole state on her shoulders and led the program from nothing to a multi-year success story?”
“Maybe it’s because she’s going to break every scoring record in NCAA history… Maybe people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how inspiring she is and what she’s accomplished and what she stands for and how she’s done it. But instead, we have to listen to people who say we like her because she’s white and she’s popular because she’s doing the same things that other rookies are doing. Well, that’s bullshit. I think the WNBA, and more specifically, WNBA referees, need to stop trying to screw her over at every turn.”
Let’s guess the WNBA rookie.#PMSLive #Journalism https://t.co/c3qhIbrk2e pic.twitter.com/SrQwC3Ejpv
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 3, 2024
After receiving intense criticism from both inside and outside ESPN, McAfee issued an unusual apology on X.
“I should never have described Caitlin Clark as a ‘white bitch.’ No matter the context, even if we were talking about race being a factor in some events, I have too much respect for her and women to say something like that to the public,” McAfee wrote to X.
I should never have described Caitlin Clark as a “white bitch.” I have too much respect for her and the women in this world to say that, regardless of context, even if we’re talking about race being the cause of some events.
What I meant when I said this… pic.twitter.com/F6OHB4gvYh
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 3, 2024
“When I said it, like that whole bit, I meant it as a compliment, but a lot of people have said it was never meant as a compliment. That’s 100% my fault and I apologize for that… I’ve also sent an email to Caitlyn apologizing.
“Everything I said… is all true.”
