Caitlin Clark finally gets it, but she has to consider the agenda around her name

Caitlin Clark finally gets it, but she has to consider the agenda around her name
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INDIANAPOLIS — Athletes often speak in generalities as a defense mechanism. Rather than delve into a potentially controversial topic, or even address the issue, they provide non-answers, using clichés and pre-planned talking points to keep a safe distance.

Part of me would like to believe that this is what Caitlin Clark did. Thursday morning when I asked her if she was bothered by fans using her name as a weapon in the culture wars dividing the country. The Indiana Fever’s star guard hasn’t closed the door on the topic; 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 agendas,” but the damage had already been done. Connecticut Sun winger DiJonai Carrington was among those who spoke out against his initial comments, saying on , misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and the intersectionality of it all.” It’s all crazy. We all see the shit. We all have a platform. We all have a voice and we all matter. Silence is a luxury.

It’s no surprise that Clark initially tries to avoid the topic. He’s a freshman struggling to find his way on a new team in a new league, at a time when the shots that fell so regularly in college now miss his mark more frequently. Instead of being the key man, which contributed to his enormous popularity at Iowa, he sometimes gets benched in the waning moments due to 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 absolutely cannot do that when people use your name as a means to promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other social evils. To whom much is given, much is required, indeed.

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 trying 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 divert attention from Clark’s early struggles by pointing out Boston’s shortcomings .

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson is widely considered the best player in the WNBA and a high-profile ambassador for the game and its players. But when he responded that race is a “huge” factor why players of color haven’t received the same kind of attention or marketing opportunities as Clark, social media sprung into action, with one person writing: ” My advice to A’ja Wilson, instead of giving credit to this young woman’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 to her of your sport.

There is a tradition in professional sports that high-profile freshmen must be tested. The veterans attack them hard to see what they are made of. It doesn’t matter the sport or the sex. But when Carrington fouled Clark and mocked the freshman for what she perceived as a contact embellishment, much of the social media commentary was predictable. “Caitlin Clark was targeted by black players again on Monday, this time in Connecticut,” one person wrote. “Suns guard (sic) DiJonai Carrington violently checked Clark and then taunted her after the clear foul. The crowd booed. If the games had been 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 sincere? 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 maybe he was taking the advice of his inner circle, including advisers who might believe it’s more beneficial to say nothing? It worked well for Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, even if it sent the message that money was more important than morality. But the initial reluctance to stand up to hate and harassment was always going to be problematic in a league that’s 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 kickoff 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 remain silent on the sidelines when legendary WNBA guard Sue Bird spoke out in a 2020 CNN piece, or UConn guard Paige Bueckers addressed it during her 2021 ESPYs acceptance speech, or former LSU guard Hailey Van Lith last March called criticism of her Black teammates racist, or Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink said last week, “I recognize that there is privilege for younger white players in the league.”

No one is calling on Clark to become a social activist or be a prominent face in the fight for respect, but it is important that she at least denounces those who might use her name to foment hatred and division.

“It’s disappointing, it’s not acceptable…,” she said before warning people who use her 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 nice person and treat them the way you want to be treated.”

It may have taken her a while 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 the League.

(Photo: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)


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