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Content warning: The following content discusses themes such as racism and derogatory words.
This season has been historic for the WNBA, as viewership totals hit new highs, notably in the closeout game of the first-round series between the Fever and Sun, which became the highest-viewed game in WNBA postseason history.
However, what has become abundantly clear is that the right people are not the ones pushing the WNBA to these heights. While the net gain in viewership helps with sponsorships and televising of games, people holding bigoted views have used the league as a way to push said views.
Although she has often refuted this part of the fanbase, WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark has been the vessel for bigoted actions and statements. Clark came into the league as the most hyped prospect in WNBA history, leaving college as the runaway favorite to go first overall and the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
As a white person, Clark is more prone to garnering fans from the more bigoted sect of American politics. She has said time and time again that each and every person in and outside the WNBA deserves respect, but that hasn’t quieted the outrage.
The most egregious example of bigots using Clark as a vessel to spread hatred came after Sun guard and WNBA Most Improved Player Dijonai Carrington posted a screenshot of an email she had received including a racial slur and a threat to Carrington’s life and body after fouling Clark in a game and giving her a black eye.
The threat caused uproar within the WNBA, with the league issuing a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, denouncing the treatment of its players and bigotry in all respects. Several players made statements as well, including top-five MVP finisher and teammate of Carrington, Alyssa Thomas; and Carrington’s girlfriend, and Clark’s teammate NaLyssa Smith.
The attacks on Black and queer players have not been specifically concerning Clark, with several fans attacking the eyelashes and nails of Black players, including a woman at the Fever-Sun series wearing a “ban fake nails” shirt.
Clark herself has even fallen victim to the ridicule of this section of her fanbase. Earlier in September, Clark liked a post by Taylor Swift endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential race.
Clark explained why she liked the post, advocating for people to register to vote and educate themselves on the candidates at hand, essentially publicizing her political views for all to see. This got backlash from the bigoted section of her fan base.
What this illustrates is the people making these claims never cared about basketball in the first place. If a player’s political views are enough to discourage someone from watching a league, his or her viewership never pertained to the entertainment that sports provide.
The evocation of bigotry throughout the season is discouraging on one hand, as one could argue the WNBA’s climb is in part due to the engagement this bigoted sect has engaged in; as the phrase goes, “all publicity is good publicity.”
However, where discouragement lies, reasons for encouragement stand out. The WNBA, its players and even the media have stood up in adversity to this type of hateful rhetoric, and the allowance its been given. This type of rhetoric is necessary to let bigoted would-be “fans” know the WNBA is not a safe space for their worldviews.
Logan Adams is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Logan know by tweeting him @LoganPAdams.
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