The “W” in WNBA is supposed to stand for “woman,” but recently,, I think it means “whining”.
Even before Caitlin Clark put on an Indiana Fever jersey last spring, people have been racially disparaging and slandering her, attempting to diminish both her abilities on the court and her own steroid-induced growth. , there was a constant effort by experts, media and other sections of the players. It has permeated the league.
The latest tantrum comes from Washington Mystics co-owner and billionaire Sheila Johnson, who appeared on CNN over the weekend and criticized Clark for being named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year, the all-time athlete of the year. I cried about being the first WNBA star to earn that honor.
“Caitlin Clark is definitely talented, but in a team sport like basketball, putting one person on such a pedestal can foster resentment,” Johnson said. “It doesn't reflect the collective effort that makes the game so special…When you keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings.”
Wow. As a businesswoman, Johnson should be grateful, not resentful.
Instead, she claimed a participation trophy and asked why Time magazine “couldn't put the entire WNBA on its cover.”
But without Clark, who was named Rookie of the Year, the league hasn't even sniffed a fraction of the relevance she's enjoyed since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Fever.
In Johnson's plea for impartiality – a pernicious principle in itself – she painted a humiliating portrait of women. The league was marketed as a showcase for hard-nosed, physical basketball and relentless competition, and exposure was enough to get noticed and become as big as the NBA.
But here Johnson is essentially saying that these female ballers are actually female ballers: emotionally weak, thin-skinned, jealous, and narrow-minded.
So which one is it?
Was Johnson upset when the Mystics moved their Sept. 19 game against the Fever from their 4,200-seat home venue to D.C.'s Capital One Arena? 20,711 fans gatheredthe largest crowd in WNBA history?
Of course, she doesn't represent all women in hoops, but those sour grapes didn't rot in a vacuum.
Legendary player Sheryl Swoopes seems to physically react when Clark's name is mentioned. And league MVP A'ja Wilson took advantage of the genius' popularity to complain that “it doesn't matter what we do as black women, we're still going to be swept under the rug.” I leaked it. That's why my blood boils when people say this is not a racial issue.
But all of this ends up obscuring the undeniable fact of the Clark effect, which has increased viewership and attendance at an alarming rate..
Prime Minister Johnson's statement Clark's controversial Time interviewIn it, she said, “I'd like to say I've had it all, but as a white person I have privilege.” She added that the league is “built” around Black players and said she wants to uplift them.
Clark was wrong to associate his success with privilege rather than simply ability, hard work, and exceptional focus.
There was timing, but she couldn't control it.. Clark was a college student when NIL died. Thanks to NIL, athletes had access to their names, images, and likenesses. That means she gained support and attention, which helped make her the biggest star in the sport, both male and female.
But she is 22 years old and lives in a world where much of the 24/7 violence depends on what she does and says. For a girl who just wants to hoop (and who hoops better than anyone), it's a precarious place to be.
Johnson's comments prove that it was a fool's errand for Clark to give Lace Loon an olive branch, and that her only privilege is to serve as both rainmaker and company whipping girl. .
It doesn't matter how many public love letters she sent to Idol Hall of Famer Maya Moore and the women before her. There is always pressure to atone for sins.
Angel Reese gets cheers every time she poses for Sports Illustrated Swim or Women's Health or declares herself a WNBA draft pick in a Vogue fashion shoot. . When Wilson got the cover for the game NBA 2K25, no one told her she should share it with other players.
It seems like there are only hurt feelings around one person. And she happened to be a white chick. (She's not the WNBA's first win, though).
Clark is transcendent and a joy to watch. He's a ferocious hooper with the spirit of Kobe, MJ, and Larry Bird. She is a firestarter who can eject Logo 3 and put on a show with her death. I will always remain one of her biggest fans.
However, the WNBA is a sports league that openly competes in skill. I hate seeing Clark become a willing victim.
