Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark denounced her name being used to push agendas of racism and misogyny on Thursday, calling it “disappointing” and “unacceptable.”
“Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect,” Clark said before the Fever’s game against the Atlanta Dream. “The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect, so people should not be using my name to push those agendas.”
Caitlin Clark was asked about her name being weaponized for racism and misogyny.
“It’s disappointing. Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect … People should not be using my name to push those agendas.”
🎥 @RomeovilleKid pic.twitter.com/7ufLpChuhv
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 13, 2024
The attention surrounding Clark’s rookie season — and her recent omission from the U.S. Olympic team — has sparked debate on social media and has led to her name being used in discussions extending beyond basketball. Aside from social media dialogue from sports fans, politicians, athletes, media personalities and even editorial boards have chimed in on the Clark conversation.
Clark faced multiple questions about it Thursday, both at the team’s afternoon shootaround and before tipoff.
At shootaround, Clark — when asked how she feels about people weaponizing her name in culture wars — said people using her name was “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,” Clark said. “Like I said, basketball is my job. Everything on the outside, I can’t control that, so I’m not going to spend time thinking about that.”
Clark’s earlier answer prompted criticism from Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, who posted on X: “Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the s—. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.”
Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the sh*t. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.
— dιjonaι carrιngтon♛ (@DijonaiVictoria) June 13, 2024
Asked more specifically about racism and misogyny Thursday night, Clark said people need to treat every player with the same respect.
“This league is a league I grew up admiring and wanting to be a part of,” Clark said pregame. “Some of the women in this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up and helped me want to achieve this moment right here that I get to play in every single night so just treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect is a basic human thing that everybody should do.
“Treat them how you would want to be treated. I think it’s very simple.”
(Photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
