Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever can’t seem to catch a break—and no, we’re not talking about her 3-point accuracy. On the court, she’s dodging not just defenders, but pettiness from players who think her rise to fame is somehow tied to her skin tone. And off the court? She’s got critics expecting her to solve racism on her days off, because why not add “social justice warrior” to her already stacked rookie resume?
It’s like Clark has two different types of defenders: the ones in uniforms trying to stop her from breaking every WNBA record, and the ones in armchairs, armed with Twitter fingers, slinging shade for all the wrong reasons.
Let’s start on the hardwood, where the jealousy flows like Gatorade. Some players—ahem, jealous ones—seem to believe that Clark’s fame is more about her being white than it is about her jaw-dropping skills. Spoiler alert: it’s not. It’s not like the WNBA hands out Rookie of the Year awards based on complexion. (If that were the case, they’d have renamed it to “Rookie of the Year in Beige.”)
And speaking of her Rookie of the Year crown, can we talk about that one rogue voter? 66 votes for Clark, 1 for Angel Reese. Yup, someone just had to throw that wrench into what would’ve been a unanimous decision. One vote. One vote. Talk about petty. It’s like playing a perfect game of H-O-R-S-E and losing because your buddy throws in a trick shot last second.
But of course, as if dealing with on-court shade wasn’t enough, Clark’s also expected to navigate off-court controversies. After the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Fever from the playoffs, things got ugly—fans, trolls, whatever you want to call them, unleashed a barrage of racist comments at Sun players, especially DiJonai Carrington. Why? Because Carrington accidentally poked Clark in the eye during a game. Yes, that was enough to get the bigots typing in all caps. Let’s get this straight: accidental poke in the eye equals social media storm? Where are these fans when actual fouls happen?
Clark, true to form, handled it with class, calling out the trolls and making it clear that nobody—nobody—in the league should have to deal with that level of hate. She dropped the mic, but sadly, that didn’t stop the idiocy on the internet.
But hey, here’s where things get twisted. Just like Larry Bird back in the day, Clark is also catching heat from some Black players who are convinced she’s only getting the spotlight because of her skin color. Uh, newsflash: Caitlin Clark is as legit as they come. She didn’t break WNBA records by sitting courtside eating popcorn. She did it by balling out night after night, game after game. But jealousy, like bad sportsmanship, doesn’t care about the facts.
Now, let’s throw some shade where it’s really due: corporate America. Take Nike, for instance. They handed Clark a shoe deal (yay!), then apparently threw the promotion strategy into a black hole (boo!). Did they think hyping up Clark’s new kicks would upset Black players and fans? Maybe they need to read the room—or better yet, check their marketing playbook.
And then there’s the rest of the WNBA crew throwing side-eye at Clark. Do they not realize that this girl is making everyone more money? Her sold-out games, her endorsement deals, and her TV time are filling up their pockets too. If anything, they should be lining up to say “thank you,” not throwing shade like it’s a post-game towel.
So, let’s wrap it up: Caitlin Clark is the real deal. She’s shattering records, dodging pettiness, and dealing with more trolls than a medieval castle. Hate the narrow-minded fans and corporate suits all you want, but let’s not pretend for one second that Clark doesn’t belong right where she is—at the top of the game, and frankly, a class above the rest.
Now, if everyone else could just stop being so petty, we could all just enjoy the show. And maybe, just maybe, Nike will figure out how to sell some shoes while they’re at it.
