Caitlin Clark is one of the world’s biggest sports stars.
Clark’s logo 3-pointers and scoring prowess during her time at Iowa and early in her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever has resonated with fans and generated unprecedented TV viewership, attendance and interest in women’s basketball.
Through no fault of her own, the discourse surrounding Clark has at times turned hostile across social media platforms as WNBA fans have reacted to her transition into the league and some of the physical play that’s accompanied it.
Given the height of Clark’s popularity, the mere mention of her name is a surefire way to enhance engagement and views across social media. Some feel that Clark’s name has been used as an engine for culture wars.
On Thursday before the Fever’s 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream, James Boyd of The Athletic asked Clark what her response is to individuals using her name for racism, misogyny or any hateful agendas.
“Yeah, I think it’s disappointing. I think everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing. It’s not acceptable. This league is a league that I grew up admiring and wanting to be a part of.
“Some of the women in this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up and helped me wanting to achieve this moment right here that I get to play in every single night. Just treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect I think is just a basic human thing that everybody should do. Just be a kind person and treat them how you would want to be treated and I think it’s very simple,” Clark said.
I asked #IndianaFever’s Caitlin Clark directly about her name being weaponized for racism/misogyny (as Dijonai Carrington alluded to):
“It’s disappointing. … Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect.” pic.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024
Earlier on Thursday, Jim Trotter of The Athletic had asked Clark how she felt about people using her name in culture wars.
“It’s not something I can control, so I don’t put too much thought and time into thinking about things like that, and, to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it. Like I’ve said, basketball’s my job. Everything on the outside, I can’t control that, so I’m not going to spend time thinking about that.
“People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever it is, but I think for myself, I’m just here to play basketball. I’m here to have fun. I’m trying to help our team win. Obviously, we’ve won three games and feel like we’ve been in position to win a few more than that. My focus is on helping us do that. I don’t pay much mind to all of that to be honest,” Clark said.
Trotter followed up to ask if Clark felt any of the national discourse or social media commentary had impacted her ability to cultivate relationships in the WNBA.
“I think everybody in the league understands, one, we’re excited about all this attention we’re getting, I think we’re appreciative of it. I think the league has been great for a really long time, but my focus is on my teammates. They’ve been amazing. I don’t think it’s impacted me making relationships on my team.
“I’m not obviously talking to people on other teams on a daily basis. I have so much to focus on here. Getting my teammates to trust me and do all that is my main focus. Same with our coaching staff and same with this organization,” Clark said.
Clark is averaging 15.6 points, 6.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 36.7% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 89.7% from the free throw line.
Clark and the Fever host the Chicago Sky on Saturday at 11 a.m. on CBS.
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