Caitlin Clark has defended her fellow WNBA players and, from some quarters, pushed back on the toxic discourse that has accompanied her rookie season in the league.
Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever after a record-breaking college career at Iowa. She has faced some tough fouls and has struggled at times on a Fever team that has limped to a 4-10 record. She was also left out of the U.S. roster for next month’s Olympics.
That has led to a significant amount of racist, sexist and homophobic comments online from people claiming to defend Clark, who is white, in a league where the majority of players are black and many are gay.
On Thursday, Clark pushed back against online prejudice from those who claim to be her fans.
“People shouldn’t be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing. It is not acceptable,” Clark said. “…Treating every woman in this league with equal respect, I think, it’s just a human thing that everyone should do.”
Clark had previously defended Chennedy Carter, who received online vitriol after fouling the former Iowa star in a game earlier this month. However, Clark also said that social media is “not something I can control.” That prompted a rebuke from Connecticut Sun watcher DiJonai Carrington, who said Clark should do more to speak out about online abuse.
“Day. That you don’t care that their name is used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and the intersectionality of them all is insane,” Carrington wrote. “We all see the sh*t. We all have a stage. We all have a voice and they all carry weight. Silence is a luxury.”
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Carrington appeared to mock Clark during the Sun’s win over the Fever on Monday when she gestured that her opponent had exaggerated the consequences of a foul.