Caitlin Clark’s long list of achievements has also, sadly, earned her a few haters: The latest is former ESPN reporter Jemele Hill, who scolded the media for “centering Caitlin Clark in everything and pouring a huge share of the coverage behind her” while “the coverage that sometimes non-white women get, or specifically Black women get, is not even close.”
Fine, Hill is no stranger to hatemongering over race, but USA Today columnist Lindsay Schnell had a similar gripe last month: “As women’s basketball grows in popularity, white players get most attention.”
Let’s be clear: The Iowa Hawkeyes starting guard gets attention because she earns it.
She’s the NCAA women’s basketball’s all-time scoring leader; she broke the Big Ten records for assists and three-pointers; she has the most career points in Division I history for women or men.
She’s making history; are we not supposed to notice?
Women’s college basketball isn’t short on talent these days, but Clark is hypnotizing to watch, averaging 32 points and nine assists per game.
And that performance gets butts in seats: All Iowa home games and most road ones have sold out this year, a phenomenon that analyst Deb Antonelli dubbed “Clarkonomics.”
And when it comes to sports’ coverage, Clark is the exception, not the rule: From LeBron James to Serena Williams, most of the biggest and most well-known stars are black.
They earned that attention with their talent, just like Clark.
There is no conspiracy to ignore black players, and slamming Clark diminishes what she’s done for women’s college basketball: More attention for the sport means more investment in the sport — and more opportunities and recognition for players of all races.
Ignore the racemongers: A rising tide lifts all boats, and Caitlin Clark is bringing the flood.