The WNBA discourse is rife with racist and sexist madness as media attention increases

ESPN host Dominique Foxworth made a wonderful point during an appearance on the Bomani Jones podcast, stating the difference between a polarizing figure and a lightning rod. In the primary category, you do or say things that draw people into opposing camps. In this second category, you haven’t got to do or say anything. Your mere existence is enough to divide the masses.

Caitlin Clark is a lightning rod that crackles each in and out of the WNBA popular culture.

Her presence brought additional scrutiny to a 28-year-old league through which 70% of players are black and 100% are women. It’s no wonder fans and the media express a number of racism and sexism.

I can imagine ESPN’s Monica McNutt’s exasperation as she deals with assumptions about (mostly) black women’s response to the adulation of Clark, a (white) rookie who has done nothing as an expert. McNutt understands each of the above-mentioned -isms – race and gender – when even black men only know half of it. Sometimes it really works out like this for Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on “First Take” on Monday.

“There’s a perception that the WNBA is mad that this little white girl is the great white hope” – McNutt said Monday throughout the 40-minute opening segment that went viral. “It was unfair and very frustrating for those of us who have been involved in the league for a very long time.”

She and the others are committed to it, which is nothing latest, while waves of Johns and Janes have just arrived, following Clark. This jogs my memory of a meme on Facebook I saw the opposite day. Someone sprinkled salt on a watermelon and after discovering the “new” world, he acted like Christopher Columbus. I actually have childhood memories of individuals salting melon.

Players don’t roll out the red carpet to draft the No. 1 overall pick, no matter who she is. Certainly not bending the knee, though Clark is the leading force behind the surge in viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. That does not imply they’re jealous haters, though, a growing narrative that has gripped the league, especially after Chicago’s Chennedy Carter committed a flagrant foul on Clark.

Smith and Sharpe suggested that WNBA players were jealous and bitter over Clark’s arrival as, to make use of Smith’s phrase, the “golden goose.” Last month Charles Barkley accused league veterans for his or her “irrelevant” handling of Clark’s remark. James LeBron he tweeted that in case you’re not “crazy” with Clark, you are a “STRAIGHT HATER!”

I’m undecided how these competitive athletes should treat Clark – apart from wanting to kick her ass. Not through dirty play and low-cost shots (which may occur when hotheads like Carter lose their cool in the warmth of battle), but through the use of all of the skill, strength and physicality they will muster. People #1 shouldn’t expect anything different, even when some people think otherwise. “It’s a very physical game and you’re going to feel the pressure,” Clark he said last month. “This is skilled basketball. Honestly, that is what it is.”

But too many fans and media see otherwise. They see racial resentment and resentment as an overarching theme within the broad portrayal of black women. The Chicago Tribune compared Carter’s foul to against the law. “Outside of a sports competition, it would be construed as an assault,” the article says editorial, possibly written by Karen. “Even in a sporting context it was bad.”

Sports

It wasn’t that bad, however it involved Clark, portrayed as the league’s savior. ESPN’s Pat McAfee summarized his thoughts on the rise in interest within the WNBA and dismissed any thoughts that other players deserve recognition as well.

“No, just call it like it is” – McAfee he said Monday. “There’s one white female dog on the Indiana team who’s a superstar.”

No wonder who he thinks is chatting with her in such language.

“I shouldn’t have used the word ‘white female dog’ to describe Caitlin Clark,” he later said apology. “Regardless of the context… even if we talk about race as a cause of some things.”

Of course, race is the rationale for a few of Clark’s electricity. Like her shooting, passing and sexuality. Like her Midwestern background and girl-next-door personality. WNBA players usually are not silly and do not need a monolithic temperament. Some people talk crap like Clark and some people don’t. Everyone knows she’s “the one” now.

But there are levels to this phenomenon; Full understanding requires a multi-layered and nuanced approach, which is often not the uniqueness of sports conversations. McNutt returned to “First Take” on Tuesday with ESPN broadcaster and former WNBA No. 1 prospect Chiney Ogwumike to further enlighten the lads.

Smith warned that players were “standing in the way” and hindering Clark’s profession as a money cow within the league. Sharpe complained about foul play, as if Clark needed to deal with low-cost shots each time he took the court. Everyone agreed that Carter’s foul would have been historyless had it not been for Clark.

She is definitely a lightning rod, a white woman who triggers racist and sexist madness just by her presence. Black women within the WNBA and beyond may ask the identical query:

“What else is new?”