For the first time in its entire existence, the WNBA has something it hasn’t had before: a marketable superstar that has brought widespread interest to the league.
That superstar is Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who made a name for herself while playing college ball for the Iowa Hawkeyes by shooting threes from Steph Curry range, and making it look easy.
But before she even played a regular season game, WNBA stars were attacking her and saying she’s only popular because of her skin color.
A’Ja Wilson plays for the Las Vegas Aces, and she’s accomplished pretty much everything possible in her collegiate, WNBA, and international career. She’s an excellent player by all accounts, but she hasn’t received a fraction of the attention that Clark has.
Unsurprisingly, she sees that as a byproduct of racism and said that Clark is getting so much attention because she’s white.
“I think a lot of people may say it’s not about Black and White, but to me, it is,” she said. “It really is because you can be top notch at what you are as a Black woman, but yet maybe that’s something that people don’t want to see.
“They don’t see it as marketable, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work. It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug. That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”
Related: Bucks Guard Patrick Beverly Claims A Fan Racially Taunted Him - But Did They?
I hate to burst Wilson’s bubble, but the popularity disparity she’s seeing here has nothing to do with skin color.
People love Clark because she can shoot from insane distances and make her shots with ease. She provides significant entertainment value in ways most WNBA stars - including Wilson - simply can’t.
Plus, Clark is relatively drama free and not overtly political, a refreshing break from the norm with WNBA stars, including Wilson.
Any player who provided those two things would rightfully get a lot of attention, regardless of skin color.
So maybe instead of acting like a jealous kid, Wilson could embrace the fact that Clark has brought more fans to the sport she plays. That would be far better than sabotaging the reputation of the new fans coming to watch the sport.
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