Caitlin Clark shared an emotional message with her fans on Wednesday night as she reflected on her debut season in the WNBA.
The 22-year-old’s sensational rookie season in the professional league came to an end last week when the Indiana Fever crashed out of the playoffs in a second straight loss to the Connecticut Sun.
After taking a week to recover from the defeat, Clark took to social media to thank her supporters.
“Year one,” she posted alongside a green check mark emoji. ‘Thank you to the many people who supported me while I was able to realize my childhood dream. I am filled with gratitude as I reflect on the past year of my life.”
“See you in year two,” she signed off.
Caitlin Clark shared an emotional message with her fans on Wednesday night after her debut season
Clark’s sensational rookie season in the professional league came to an end last week
Clark’s message came just hours after the WNBA’s latest race made headlines.
The Fever’s exit from the playoffs was overshadowed by another controversy after Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington accidentally poked Clark in the eye during the best-of-three series.
USA Today columnist Christine Brennan asked Carrington after the incident if the poke was intentional, which the player denied. Similarly, Carrington also denied laughing about the incident after cameras caught her giggling with teammates later in their Game 1 win.
The question sparked a war between Brennan and the WNBA players’ union, which called for the journalist’s firing.
While Carrington answered Brennan’s questions without complaint, the WNBA players’ union responded with a scathing statement aimed at the famed columnist.
“To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You are not fooling anyone,” the WNBPA statement said.
“That so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to entice a professional athlete to participate in a story that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You can’t hide behind your tenure.
“You have abused your privileges and do not deserve the credentials provided to you.”
The Fever rookie took to social media to thank her supporters for her ‘childhood dream’
Clark (right) is defended by DiJonai Carrington in their first round
Brennan, a 66-year-old sportswriting pioneer, has been defended by dozens of journalists since the controversy began, including some from both sides of the political divide. For example, liberal Keith Olbermann and conservative Jason Whitlock both condemned the WNBPA for their statement.
In addition, USA Today released a statement saying that the newspaper “rejects the idea that the interview perpetuated any narrative other than to get the players’ perspective directly.”
However, retired soccer star Megan Rapinoe weighed in on the debate Wednesday when she addressed the “racist” issue.
“My visceral reaction was like, ‘That’s not right. That doesn’t feel good. That feels racist, to be honest with you,” Rapinoe told her partner and retired WNBA legend Sue Bird on their podcast.
Rapinoe believed Brennan instinctively defended Clark, who happens to be the subject of the columnist’s next book.
“I think it’s so unfair when Christine Brennan and other media members say, ‘I’m just asking the question,’” Rapinoe said.
“But what actually happens is your natural instinct is to protect and tell on white players, versus ‘go after black players and tell on them.’ That’s the problem for me.
“The premise of the question is based on the belief that DiJonai is being targeted, that DiJonai is specifically being punched or swiped in Caitlin’s eyeball,” Rapinoe continued.
Sue Bird (far left) and Megan Rapinoe (near left) addressed Christine Brennan (right)
Although Clark suffered a black eye, she also dismissed the incident and said she did not believe Carrington wanted to hurt her.
Still, that hasn’t stopped fans and media from calling for a suspension.
Carrington was not suspended, nor was she even whistled for a foul during the game — two things that have fueled some fans’ beliefs that Clark is the victim of anti-white racism.
The storyline has been a constant theme throughout the 2024 season as the WNBA has broken all sales and television viewing records. Many players and teams have expressed racist fan abuse, much of it centered around the rivalry between rookies Clark, who is white, and Angel Reese, who is black.
Asked about the issue when she appeared on CNBC last month, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert compared the Clark-Reese dynamic to the NBA’s famous Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry, which also involved players of different races.
After the most successful regular season in league history, the ongoing WNBA postseason is in danger of being overshadowed by controversy.
While many of Clark’s supporters have accused the league of conspiring against its biggest star, a number of players have expressed frustrations over racist fan abuse.
No foul was called, despite the contact leaving the 22-year-old in pain on the ground
And it’s not Clark or, strictly speaking, her fans who are responsible. For example, Clark has condemned the racist abuse of players by fans.
“It’s absolutely disturbing,” Clark said last month. “No one in our league should experience any form of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments or threats. Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls and it’s a real disservice to the people of our league, the organization, the WNBA.”
Bird not only absolved Clark of any responsibility, but also emphasized that her fans as a whole are not to blame.
“It’s not the Fever fans, it’s not the Caitlin fans,” Bird told Rapinoe on their podcast. “We’re talking about the faction of that group that is pushing racist agendas and hatred, and sowing division online, by acting as fans, acting as Fever fans, acting as Caitlin fans.”