Jemele Hill is living in a land of delusion when it comes to Caitlin Clark.
Clark is four games into her WNBA career, and despite being off to a tough 0-4 start, is without question the face of the league.
The former Iowa superstar became the most famous player in the league the moment the Indiana Fever drafted her first overall.
She ended her college career as the highest scorer in major college basketball history, elevated the women’s game to unprecedented levels and was nothing short of electric to watch. It’s not hard to figure out why she’s so beloved.
Hill has a bit of a different view. It’s about race and being straight.
Jemele Hill goes off the rails on Caitlin Clark.
“We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her 𝓈ℯ𝓍uality played a role in her popularity. While so many people are happy for Caitlin’s success — including the players; this has had such an enormous impact on the game — there is a part of it that is a little problematic because of what it says about the worth and the marketability of the players who are already there,” Hill told The Los Angeles Times when talking about Clark’s insane draw.
Yes, the fact Caitlin Clark is straight and white is apparently a major problem for the WNBA, in Hill’s opinion. She didn’t stop there. The former ESPN talent opined on why Clark is more famous than any other player in the league, despite being a rookie, and people having an issue with it.
“It’s not jealousy. It’s just the fact that in our society, black women are often erased from the picture,” Hill said. “While Caitlin Clark’s success should be widely celebrated, there are various points where we have seen dynamic phenoms and how they have been able to popularize the game. It’s just that, for whatever reason, could be race, could be gender, could be a myriad of factors, that same marketing muscle that seems very intentional about making sure that Caitlyn Clark is a superstar was missing for them,” Hill further told the outlet.
She continued with, “Coke and Pepsi and all these other brands didn’t come running for Cheryl Miller. So I think it’s OK to have multiple conversations at once. There’s plenty of room to highlight and celebrate Caitlin Clark’s popularity while also discussing ways in which to not erase black women from a league that they have built and continue to build.”
Jemele Hill claims Caitlin Clark’s appeal might be “problematic” for the WNBA. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s amazing what goes on in Jemele Hill’s head. Everything has to be about race and a victim mentality. Cailtin Clark can’t simply be the face of the WNBA because she’s been a massive draw due to her scoring for four years at Iowa. No, it can’t be that simple.
It has to be the fact that she’s a straight white woman. That’s definitely it, and that’s apparently a problem. How exactly is that a problem? How is Clark being a straight white woman – the same as millions of other women in America – a problem for the WNBA? Not everything is about race. In fact, I’d argue in sports that it matters very little.
Sports remain the ultimate meritocracy. The best rise to the top and the weak fall off. It’s the way more parts of society should be.
Also, and this has to be said, the WNBA has the opportunity to really grow as a league with Clark leading the way. Instead of leaning into it, it seems like people are more interested in petty infighting and tearing Clark down. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. The league rarely had chartered flights. One public airport incident with Clark and the entire league can get private flights now. She literally changed the league before playing a regular season game.
Is Caitlin Clark being white and straight the reason people like her? (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Hill and other critics should learn to love Clark for who she is – a generational talent. There’s no need to inject race or 𝓈ℯ𝓍uality into the situation. Let me know at [email protected].
