Caitlin Clark derangement syndrome continues to rise — to toxic levels — as some people in the country are driven crazy by the meteoric rise of the college hoops’ star turned top WNBA draft pick.
Even Charles Barkley had to address it this week.
“You women out there, y’all petty, man… Y’all should be thanking that girl [Clark] for getting y’all ass private charters,” Barkley said during TNT’s pregame show for Game 1 of the NBA’s Western Conference finals series Wednesday. “All the money and visibility she’s bringing to the WNBA, don’t be petty like dudes. Listen, what she’s accomplished, give her her flowers.”
As usual, Sir Charles cuts through the nonsense with his bluntness — but his target may have been a smidge off.
Yes, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson has said Clark’s acclaim is tied to being white: “That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”
But I’d say most of the animus is from media pundits and social media critics whose hobbies include diminishing Clark’s abilities because of her skin color.
There’s sports journalist Jemele Hill, who called Clark’s popularity “problematic” — adding, “We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity.”
But it’s Sunny Hostin of “The View” who chucked the biggest brick.
“I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege,” Hostin said of the new Indiana Fever guard this week. ‘There is a thing called white privilege. There is a thing called tall privilege, and we have to acknowledge that.”
If that’s the case, why isn’t LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink — who is white and blonde and looks like an IMG model — getting the buzz and marketing bucks like Clark?
Hostin continued to display her absolute ignorance of sports and business, and her detachment from reality.
“And so part of it is about race because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, why did she have to go to play in Russia? Because they wouldn’t pay her,”
Right — WNBA star Griner went to play in Russia (where she was arrested on drug-related charges) because the racists who run the league simply didn’t want to pay her a lot of money.
According to Hostin’s fantasy, WNBA bigs were swimming in their Scrooge McDuck vaults, hoarding the gold and waiting for a white savior not named Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Elena Delle Donne or Sabrina Ionescu to come along.
Only a few months ago, there was a collective freakout that Clark herself wasn’t getting paid enough as a WNBA rookie.
In sports, it’s not about black or white. It’s about green.
The league is far from being a cash cow. But it’s showing great signs of growth thanks to a few factors, including a glowing rookie class riding high on the marketing push of NIL.
The biggest reason is Clark, a generational talent out of Iowa who transcends all of this identitarian nonsense.
She is to hoops what Serena Williams was to tennis, or Tiger Woods to golf. They also may be racial outliers in their sports but, more importantly, they moved the needle. They brought seismic change: eyeballs, fanfare and a unique style of play.
Clark is sinking threes from the logo like Steph Curry, and dishes out thrilling passes. She broke all kinds of college scoring records, sold out arenas and was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.
It’s tough to identify all the ingredients she uses to really sizzle, but she’s a marketer’s dream. And her rising star is bringing infinitely more shine to the league’s other standouts.
Clark is not above fair criticism if she’s getting picked off, not playing defense or having an off shooting night. Even Taurasi’s smack talk about Clark’s transition to the league had a tinge of jealousy, but it was at least confined to the court. And CC’s a big girl. She can handle herself.
But these attacks reduce Clark to her race, sexuality and looks — all things that go against the feminist principles many of her detractors claim to hold dear. The slights remove her tireless work ethic, tenacity and talent from the equation.
If you still have any doubt about the unnecessary hate directed at Clark, see LeBron James’ take.
“The one thing that I love that she’s bringing to her sport? More people want to watch,” he told JJ Redick Wednesday. “More people want to tune in. Don’t get it twisted. don’t get it f–ked up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things are going to happen for the WNBA. But for her individually, I don’t think she should get involved on nothing that’s being said.”
What does Clark make of this? We have no idea because she doesn’t complain. (Except to the refs, maybe). However, the 22-year-old has a steely restraint.
Beyond her recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance, which she used to pay homage to every hooper before her, we don’t get much of a glimpse into her personality. She gives anodyne answers to media. There’s literally nothing controversial about her — except to some, her race.
To borrow the progressive parlance, Clark is merely hooping while white and straight.
All of this blowback is sour grapes. It’s whiny.
And to new fans? It’s simply off-putting.
