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So let’s talk about the Chennedy Carter and Caitlin Clark incident since it has been the talk of the sports world since the incident occurred.

Carter hipped checked Clark which again caused an uproar. But what we didn’t see or it’s not being reported enough is that Clark shoved Carter which is why Carter retaliated.

Anyone who has seen the incident knows it was probably a cheap shot on Carter’s part, no one is disagreeing with that. The parting of the ways seems to have between men and women on how the game is played and coddling a superstar player.

That discussion took place Monday on “First Take” between Molly McGrath, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Monica McNutt.

First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room. There is some jealousy among some of the players in the league because they, like a lot of fans of the league, are tired of the media coverage of Clark.

This didn’t happen before when Candance Parker and Diana Taurasi were rookies in the WNBA. Why all of a sudden hip check has become an issue? Because it’s Caitlin Clark. Because of who she is, she’s brought brand new eyes to the league.

A lot of those eyes have never followed the league before until now and because of how she is being treated, the league is being painted a certain way, especially by men in the media.

While McNutt and McGrath tried to explain on “First Take” why there may be some resentment and frustration among some of the ladies in the league, Stephen A. and Shannon think they should be grateful for all the attention they are receiving.

Smith says the resentment is legit because of the number of years the women in that league have fought to get attention so he understands it. Still, McNutt says that a lot of the mostly male-dominated media has tried to paint the league as a bunch of jealous females going after one player, a charge both Smith and Sharpe have denied.

“There are girls, young ladies, who are jealous of Caitlin Clark she is a white girl that has come into the league busted on the scene, hasn’t proven herself yet, it’s not even about them thinking they are better than her because they probably know it at this particular juncture, where the resentment comes in is the hard work, the commitment, and the dedication,” Smith said.

“All of their efforts were in vain until this girl (Clark) comes along and takes the league by storm, takes the sport by storm in college, and has accomplished in a short period what they haven’t been able to do,” he said.

Sharpe then asks McNutt whether people would continue to watch if Clark keeps getting cheap shots.

“Do you actually think they will continue to watch if Caitlin Clark keeps getting cheap shots? he said. Sharpe seems to be hinting that white America won’t be tuning in if their ‘savior” continues to be treated this way.

McNutt thinks this won’t affect the league and that people will continue to tune in despite the calls from some people saying that Clark is being treated unfairly.

Smith says the league should try more to protect their prize player, appreciate her more, and use Clark’s popularity to their advantage.

But McGrath and McNutt countered that argument by saying Carter’s behavior is not every player’s take on Clark in the league as some of the media have tried to portray it.

“Chennedy Carter is not indicative to the entire league,” said McNutt “The blanket statements is where this thing is going left.”

People such as Charles Barkley who said the women of the WNBA need to stop being jealous of Clark or even Sharpe and Smith stated that players need to be more thankful for their impact on the sport is what is frustrating for a lot of people including the players.

McNutt also added that what is happening to Clark isn’t new. She says there has always been plenty “welcome to league moments” in the WNBA but it’s taking more of a spotlight because of who Clark is.

McGrath may have summed it up best when she said “You can be grateful for the shine she brought but at the same time be frustrated, maybe it’s not jealousy but frustration.”

McGrath was highlighting what McNutt was saying that the media, who are not used to covering women’s basketball, is making a big deal out of a play that happens in the NBA all the time. Rookies have to prove themselves, this hasn’t changed.

Also as McGrath pointed out, men aren’t used to seeing women be this physical in sports although as was pointed out by McNutt, this has been going on for years.

The main issue seems to be the coddling by mostly men, of Clark who has done her fair share of trash-talking and pushing players over the years too.

Some people even said what happened to Clark was an assault.

The narrative of these black women being jealous of her is quite frankly, sexist and racist. These are professional women who have worked their behinds off to get to this point in their careers and no one paid that much attention to the WNBA until Clark came along and now, fans and media act as if she is being treated differently from any other rookie because of who she is and the color or her skin.

Ask Angel Reese if she has had any special treatment. But the conversation took a different turn at the end when it became how black women are treated compared to black men.

Smith said he thinks black men are treated worse in situations like this, to which McNutt pointed out women have it, especially black women have it worse in some cases than black men in sports. She also pointed out that until Clark entered the league, Smith and his show didn’t cover the WNBA that often which took Stephen A. off guard.

“The prevailing sentiment is unfair to the women in this league,” she said. “The game is physical. Caitlin is helping to grow the game, these women understand that, but she cannot be babied as a rookie.”

{First Take, Awful Announcing}

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.

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