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

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 it bothered her that fans were using her name as a weapon in the culture wars dividing the country. The Indiana Fever star guard didn’t close the door on the subject; 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 programs,” but the damage had already been done. Connecticut Sun winger DiJonai Carrington was among those who spoke out against his initial comments, saying about , misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and their intersectionality. “It’s all crazy. We all see the shit. We all have a platform. everyone has a voice and everyone counts.

I asked #Indiana FeverCaitlin Clark speaks directly about the weaponization of her name for racism/misogyny (as Dijonai Carrington mentioned):

“It’s disappointing… Everyone in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve that same respect.” photo.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024

It’s no surprise that Clark initially tries to avoid the topic. She’s a rookie struggling to find her way on a new team in a new league, at a time when the shots that fell so consistently in college now miss the mark more frequently. Instead of being the point man, which contributed to her enormous popularity in Iowa, she 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 can’t do that when people use your name as a vehicle to promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other social ills. To whom much is given, much is required, in fact.

The topic is sure to come up again Sunday, when the Chicago Sky comes to town. Chicago players Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese were targets of Clark’s supporters following separate incidents with Clark. Sky players said Carter and other team members were harassed at a team hotel days after he leveled Clark with a dirty hip check 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 are not the only black women 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 tried to divert attention from Clark’s early problems by pointing out Boston’s shortcomings.

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson is widely considered the WNBA’s best player and a big-name ambassador for the game and its players. But when she responded that race is a “huge” factor in why black players haven’t received the same kind of attention or marketing opportunities as Clark, social media went into overdrive, with one person writing, “My advice to A’ja Wilson, instead of giving credit to this young lady’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 about your sport.

There’s a tradition in professional sports where high-profile rookies are tested. Veterans come down hard on them to see what they’re made of. It doesn’t matter what sport or gender. But when Carrington fouled Clark and mocked the rookie for what she perceived as a contact embellishment, much of the social media commentary was predictable. “Caitlin Clark was targeted by black players again 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 were reversed, Carrington would have been ejected.”

Clark hasn’t spoken out, but I was curious what he thought about people using his name as a divisive tool. His first response Thursday morning: “It’s not something I can control, so I don’t spend too much time on it and I don’t think about it too much. And, to be honest, I don’t think about it too much. Like I said, basketball is my job. Everything outside of it I can’t control, so I don’t think about it too much. People can talk about whatever they want to talk about, have 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 much 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 certainly provide her with a certain level of grace. However, her comments were troubling because they lacked awareness and empathy for black peers who do not have the privilege to distance themselves from the “isms” they regularly encounter.

Carrington likened his silence to luxury. I see it as complicity.

Maybe he didn’t want to go through it all the way because of the sensitivity involved? Or perhaps she was following the advice of his inner circle, including advisors who might believe it is more advantageous to say nothing? He worked well for Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, although he conveyed 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 is 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 asking Clark to be a social activist or to be a prominent face in the fight for respect, but it is important for her to at least denounce those who might use her name to espouse hatred and division.

“It’s disappointing, it’s not acceptable…” he said before warning people who use his name to promote their own agendas. “This league is a league that I’ve looked up to since I was a kid 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 kind person and treat them how you want to be treated.”

It may have taken her time 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 for the League.

(Photo: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)