Leave it up to former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill to rattle a few cages when she commented on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
To summarize Hill’s article, she said Clark’s popularity is based in part on her race and sexuality. That did not sit well with a lot of folks.
The View’s Whoopi Goldberg took Hill to task about what she had to say about Clark.
“When people say stuff like [Hill’s comment], that’s like people saying, ‘Oh, you only got into this Ivy League college because you’re Black,’ or you only got this because of this. “This girl earned this! I’m sorry, there are great players, but nobody else has done this. So I’m not mad that they gave her a basketball,” she added.
CLARK POPULARITY LEADS TO QUESTIONS OF RACE & SEXUALITY: #TheView co-hosts discuss breakout WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who now has the highest salary in league history and record endorsement deals, after a new article looks at her rise to success. https://t.co/U9spE4XCDt pic.twitter.com/obFMHgjvzF
— The View (@TheView) May 22, 2024
Hill explained her point of view to Goldberg on X.
Glad #TheView addressed my comments in the LA Times about Caitlin Clark’s massive popularity. I love Whoopi, but think she misrepresented my comments. I said Caitlin Clark being straight, white and from Iowa “played a role” in her popularity, It’s a factor, not THEE factor. Just… pic.twitter.com/X880ysWEw8
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) May 22, 2024
I think what Hill is saying is the WNBA has been around for a while now but didn’t get that much attention, especially from white America, until Caitlin Clark became a household name.
And if you read some of the comments on social media, especially from parts of the mostly white media, you’d think that Clark not only invented the game but she should be given special treatment because of it.
Never seen a savior of a league get treated like this https://t.co/TXNEd4umbl
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 18, 2024
Look at the comments the other day when Clark got hit by a hard screen during a game. There was an outcry from people who thought it was too harsh because of her identity.
Yeah this needs to be said: I’ve seen more black men on this app defending Caitlin Clark for being the “victim” of a legal screen than defending Angel Reese from death threats, slurs & insults for the crime of being a confident black woman. pic.twitter.com/AdssNH4qmY
— Sons of Killmonger & Disciple of Dark Brandon (@2Strong2Silence) May 19, 2024
If anyone watches the game, they know this is part of it. Players get screened all the time. This is not new but some people think she is being treated harshly.
No, she is being treated like a rookie.
Why should she receive special treatment? And that’s where the issues start.
I was talking to a friend about this issue and he tried to compare it to Tiger Woods. What Tiger Woods did was history-making and changed the face of golf forever. What Caitlin Clark is doing is just playing basketball.
I think the lack of respect and attention the league received before she arrived has angered many people, particularly in the Black community. And now she is receiving special treatment from the media on a team that has yet to win a game so far this season.
The WNBA has always been a good product and it shouldn’t take a white face to show up in the league for folks to recognize that.
She is receiving all this attention on a team that has yet to win a single game and it has ticked a lot of people off, especially those in the league who have worked hard over the years to make the league what it is today.
To Clark’s credit, despite the attention, she has remained humble and does recognize the importance of the ladies who came before her. She also hopes her popularity will help current players get their flowers too.
I just wish a lot of her fans and the media would do the same and show the same amount of love and respect that she shows toward them.
