Caitlin Clark exited the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday, and with her went most interest in the sports league. You’d think the player base would be happy that the rookie phenom dramatically increased ratings and brought about a level of success never before seen. Unfortunately, many of Clark’s competitors have chosen to act like spoiled brats instead, apparently desperate to build up their Spirit Airlines frequent flyer miles.
Multiple claims of racism have surrounded Clark’s rise, with the most recent coming from Brittney Griner. That would be the same Brittney Griner who the United States traded the “merchant of death” for in an exchange with Russia after she broke drug laws.
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Griner is one of several WNBA players to make this claim. To be frank, in a world of cellphone videos and sideline chatter being recorded by the networks, I find it incredibly difficult to believe this has happened multiple times and it hasn’t been captured on video a single time. Who are these fans? Why haven’t they been identified? Why are the claims so incredibly vague? The entire thing smacks of jealous players trying to get attention in a room where Clark has sucked up all the oxygen.
Believe it or not, things just got a lot dumber, though. The WNBA players association has now put out a letter demanding a USA Today journalist be stripped of her credentials. The transgression? She dared to ask a player with a history of dirty play whether she meant to stab Caitlin Clark in the eye during Game One of the playoffs.
For context, here’s the play in question, which wasn’t even called a foul for some reason.
For starters, the fact that the WNBA allows players to have claws like that is insane. Basketball is a sport where people end up being struck in the face all the time. Secondly, absolutely no one does what she did with their hand when they are swiping for the ball. It sure looks like DiJonai Carrington stabbed Clark in the eye on purpose, and she has a history of disliking Clark. Back in June, she had this to say:
Carrington’s previous history with Clark shows there is some animosity for the rookie. Carrington’s dislike of the Indiana guard doesn’t seem to be about her talent, but rather more about what Clark represents. The Sun guard mocked Clark on the court in June, but that same week took to X/Twitter to criticize the rookie.
“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,” Carrington wrote. “We all see the sh*t. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.”
Given that history, USA Today reporter Christine Brennan asked the obvious question.
In response, the WNBA player’s association put out a whining statement asking for Brennan’s credentials to be pulled. In it, they demanded that the journalist be investigated for ethics violations. No, I’m not kidding.
This league deserves to fail. I get that Clark is a good story, but she’s only one person. If the rest of the player base doesn’t want to succeed and would rather lean into ridiculous drama like this, that’s their choice. To suggest a reporter should be banned from covering the sport because they asked a question in line with what was seen on video is absurd.
The WNBA has never turned a profit. It is a welfare league propped up by the NBA, and if it continues to act like one, it will never be anything but that.
