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Leonard Greene is a columnist for the New York Daily News.
Caitlin Clark can’t win.
On one side of the court, she’s catching it from petty players who think the only reason she has achieved rock star status is because she is white.
On the other side of the court, she’s catching it from critics who think she’s not doing enough to denounce the racist backlash against the petty players.
Somewhere in the middle — let’s call it half-court — Clark has managed to take the women’s basketball world by storm, filling sold-out arenas en route to a record-breaking season as the WNBA’s rookie of the year.
But even that was mired in controversy. Clark’s rookie of the year honor fell one vote short — 66 to 1 — of being unanimous. Why? Because one anonymous voter decided to vote for Caitlin’s top rival and college competitor, Angel Reese, who led the WNBA in rebounding (13.1 per game), and missed the last couple weeks of the regular season with a broken wrist.
Clark, who plays for the Indiana Fever, broke multiple league and franchise records in her first WNBA season, including the single-season record for assists, the rookie scoring record and most points by a guard in a single season in WNBA history.
One vote. Petty.
“I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year,” Clark said in a statement. “But more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season.”
Clark was appropriately humble, but she has been criticized in some circles about the bigotry surrounding her status as the latest Great White Hope.
After the Connecticut Sun bounced her team from the playoffs late last month, Fever fans showered Sun players with hateful remarks. Much of it was aimed at Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, who accidentally poked Clark in the eye.
The incident prompted one columnist, USA Today’s Christine Brennan, to ask Carrington if the hit was intentional.
The WNBA Players Association was so offended by the question that it released a statement calling the question a “blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol on social media.”
Carrington’s teammate Alyssa Thomas said the backlash against Black players has been shameful.
“I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media and there’s no place for it,” Thomas said in a postgame news conference.
Even Clark, tired of the racist flagrant fouls, pushed back.
“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, (or) hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats,” Clark said. “Those aren’t fans, those are trolls, and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league.”
But like a full-court game, the bigotry goes both ways.
Like Larry Bird before her, Clark has been the target of jealous, petty players who pretend that she is only getting the acclaim she is receiving because she is white.
But, like Bird before her, Clark is that good.
But don’t hate the player. Don’t hate the game, either. Hate the narrow-minded fans and the corporate overlords who pit the players against each other.
Whose idea was it for Nike to give Clark a shoe deal and do next to nothing to promote her? Was the company afraid of offending the WNBA’s Black players and fans?
And what about the petty players? Don’t they realize that Clark is the rising tide that’s lifting all their boats?
Her endorsement deal, the sold-out arenas and the television revenue are putting money in their pockets.
If there’s anyone who needs to shut up and dribble, it’s them.
