NEW YORK (AP) — Oh, you thought going to a WNBA basketball game could be an escape from the arguments and polarization that are so common in American life these days? Ha, good.
Part of the public and media atmosphere that has swirled around the women’s professional league since the season began last month has been less of a fun time and more of a culture war, with the rookie Caitlin Clark as the Reluctant the eye of the storm.
The 22-year-old white star at the University of Iowa and #1 Draft Pick became a canvas for all kinds of projections during its first season with Indiana Fever. She, and the predominantly black and brown women who play in the league alongside her, seem to have become the latest proxies for America’s long-standing issues, from race, gender and sexual orientation to who gets to take (or who is put in) the spotlight and who gets. ignored.
That really shouldn’t surprise anyone, says Sarah Fields, a communications professor at the University of Colorado Denver who studies the intersection of sports and American culture. “Sport,” she says, “is a microcosm that reflects and refracts society. »
What makes Clark unique also makes him a lightning rod.
There is no doubt that Clark deserves attention for his basketball prowess.
— She holds the record for most points by a Division I college basketball player, was known for her three-point shooting as well as strong passing ability, and led her team to two consecutive national championship games . (They ended up losing both to LSU and the University of South Carolina.)
— She was the undisputed top pick for the 2024 WNBA Draft in a strong class which also included Angel Reese of LSU, Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina and Cameron Brink of Stanford University.
— Clark was also fortunate to enter the scene at a time when women’s sports, both at the collegiate and professional level, are seeing growing public interest and engagement. Sponsorship money started rolling in for her in college, through name, image and likeness opportunities, and she recently signed a signature sneaker. deal with Nike.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after scoring against the Seattle Storm during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, May 30, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler, file)
But here we are in America, where people who may have gone unnoticed or known only to a smaller community can gain public attention and fame almost overnight, and all of a sudden, everyone has thoughts and opinions to offer.
In some corners of the internet and among some (predominantly male) sports pundits, Clark is talked about as if she’s THE reason the almost 30-year-old WNBA is FINALLY interesting enough to watch, and other players should keep this in mind and be basically “nice” to her, as if she needs to be protected.
The fact that a young white woman is placed in the central role, with black and brown women relegated to supporting characters, is about as old and familiar a trope as there is in a country with a racial history as troubled as the United States, says Frederick Gooding. , Jr., associate professor of African American studies at Texas Christian University.
“It’s not so much about Clark’s visibility,” he said. “It also speaks to the invisibility of black women and how difficult it is for black women to get that same type” of attention.
Clark’s bypass for the U.S. Olympic team sparked backlash
It was said that league veterans were simply jealous of its star, that she unfairly bore the brunt of overly physical play, such as when Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky knocked her down, which was later considered a blatant foul. Rough plays against other players, like when Reese was double-teamed by Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun, don’t get nearly the same attention.
When Clark was not chosen last week for the US Women’s Olympic Basketball team as a rookie, there was great outrage from some, who criticized the move as short-sighted for not seeing the marketing opportunity.
“How dare you make this decision? » asked sportscaster Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s “First Take.” “That’s stupid.”
Some comments, particularly online, were overtly racist, claiming that Clark was discriminated against in the WNBA and during Olympic selection because she was white and many other players were black. (There are white players on the Olympic roster, a veteran team seeking its eighth straight Olympic gold medal against tough international competition.)
On the other hand, there is criticism that the focus on Clark is partly BECAUSE she is white – that in a country as riven by racial tensions as the United States, she is another example of how black women are ignored or stereotyped, even though they built the sports league in which she is now among the most recognized names.
The fact that WNBA teams are now using charter flights instead of commercial flights comes after years of advocacy from players, but the timing of the league’s announcement this season was seen by some as a reflection on Clark’s presence.
“It’s like, OK, can we talk about the decades that black women in sports have been championing for this and not just say it’s just one white woman at this point in time now? Because this is not the case,” says Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati. “Especially in a sport dominated by women of color, by LGBTQ+ individuals as well, focusing our attention on this white woman. heterosexual is just – I mean, it’s normal.”
Clark just wants to talk about basketball
To be clear, none of this was started or even encouraged by Clark, who tried to keep his comments public about the game itself. When asked about it last week, she initially responded: “People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about anything. But for me, I’m just here to play basketball.
But without referring to her name, WNBA player DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun, who is Black, later asked in a social media post how it could be okay not to talk about it.
DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun drives to the basket during a WNBA basketball game against the Chicago Sky, July 12, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)
“How can we not be bothered by the fact that their name is being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and their intersectionalities is crazy,” she said, adding: “We have all one platform. We all have a voice and they all carry weight. Silence is a luxury.
Clark gave a stronger response later in the day, saying it was “disappointing” and “unacceptable” that people were using it to promote their own agendas involving racism and sexism.
“This league is the league I grew up admiring and wanted to be a part of. Some of the women in that league were my biggest idols and biggest role models growing up,” she said. “Treating every woman in this league with the same respect is a basic human thing that everyone should do.”
As a fan of women’s basketball, Naomi Oberman-Breindel, 36, of Manhattan, wishes that would become the case.
“There are a lot of incredible basketball players with really interesting and compelling stories – as players and as people,” she wrote in an email. “What is happening now looks like a forced monoculture focused on one person. »
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