It’s no secret that CNN has mostly turned itself into group therapy sessions for liberals, and the recent Caitlin Clark Time Magazine interview really sent the network over the edge.
Former ESPN commentator Cari Champion is now a frequent guest on CNN, giving generic progressive, left-wing opinions. Something that CNN clearly did not have enough of. Regardless, Champion was part of a recent panel of Democrats attempting to gang up on the one sane voice in the room, Scott Jennings. And as the panel discussed Clark’s controversial remarks about “white privilege” and WNBA history, Jennings attempted to interject some facts about the WNBA’s many financial failures until Clark showed up.
READ: Caitlin Clark Says She Benefits From ‘White Privilege’ In WNBA
Champion though, wasn’t having it.
“But before she entered the league that started in 1997, there were the Lisa Leslies and the Dawn Staleys and Sheryl Swoopes of it all who really built the league, and they weren’t getting the attention, because let’s face it, the league was built in a way in which, it wasn’t mainstream,” Champion said. “And all she’s simply saying is, ‘I want to respect those who come before me.’”
Champion also claimed that “conservatives” either “whine” about Clark or “bully” her.
“Either they whine or they bully, so now it’s time they do both. They’re bullying her when she decides to like a post, about Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris.”
Finally, she claimed that the biggest reason Clark makes money is because she’s white, and praised her for saying so.
INDIANAPOLIS – Head coach of the Indiana Fever Christie Sides speaks with Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Connecticut Sun on May 20, 2024. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Sanity In Short Supply In Caitlin Clark Debate
Jennings, in response, brought up that the WNBA has never made money, not once, in its entire history, and even with the Clark factor lost $40 million in 2024. He rightfully brought up that what those former WNBA stars actually built is up for debate.
Champion was furious, demanding to know what he meant, saying “They built a business model that has allowed women who have never had a professional sport” to play in the United States.
But did they?
If the WNBA was run by outside investors, it would have been shut down years ago, because no one watched and virtually no one went to games in person. But it’s been run at a loss by the NBA and its owners, to make themselves feel good and provide unending pats on the back from sports media.
Clark is the biggest cash cow the league’s ever had, and most of those involved openly despise her for it. All while demanding she pay homage to former players. A standard never applied to anyone else, in any sport. Champion represents that ideological absurdity perfectly: it doesn’t matter that the WNBA doesn’t have a business without the NBA subsidizing it. Clark must acknowledge every black woman who played in the league before her, because they were less popular than she is.
It makes no sense, it’s reductive and patronizing to the very athletes she claims to care about. It’s also perfectly representative of the ESPN/CNN hive mind.
