Pat McAfee has backtracked after coming under fire for calling Kaitlyn Clark a “white bitch” during an ESPN monologue praising her for how much attention she’s brought to the WNBA.
On Monday’s post by XMcAfee apologized for using that language.
“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.
“When I said it, like that whole piece, I meant it as a compliment, but many people are saying it wasn’t a compliment at all. That is 100% my fault and I apologize for that… I also sent a message to Kaitlyn apologizing. Everything else I said… it’s all true. #Journalism #WNBAProgrum #SheIsTheOne”
Though Clarke went from a ratings record-setting women’s college basketball player to the WNBA, she remains a hot topic, with nearly every sports talk show commenting on the vile attack she received from Sky guard Chennedy Carter during Saturday’s game.
McAfee, who lives in Indianapolis and was at the Fever-Sky game in question, disputed the notion that, despite all the attention being paid to Clark, all of the WNBA rookies, including Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Camila Cardoso, are responsible for the league’s growth.
“I want to say something to the sports media and former WNBA players: There seems to be this idea that the WNBA has become so successful and popular because of the rookies, but that may be wrong. Anytime Chicago’s Chennedy Carter goes to Kaitlyn, I think there’s an opportunity. [Sky rookie] “I think the reason Angel Reese is excited and celebrating is because she feels she deserves more recognition than she’s getting,” McAfee said.
“It’s funny how Kaitlyn is getting all this praise and yet you hear a lot of sports media say, ‘This is the class. This is what’s happening because of this recruiting class. This is the next generation.'”
Warning: Explicit language
McAfee then introduced a tongue-in-cheek quiz game called “Guess Which Rookie?”, pointing out the fact that Clark’s Fever games get higher television ratings than Reese’s and Brink’s games, who play in major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.
“I don’t like it when people in the media keep saying, ‘This freshman class, this freshman class, this freshman class.’ 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?” McAfee asked.
Clark, who is averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists, was limited to just three points against the Liberty at Barclays Center on Sunday, one of the worst games of his career.
