Caitlin Clark’s race ‘is a huge thing’ in her rise in popularity, claims WNBA star A’ja Wilson: ‘Boils my blood’

Caitlin Clark has been the biggest story in college basketball for two years thanks to her appearance in two national title games, capping a record-breaking collegiate career.

But now that she’s about to participate in her first WNBA regular-season game, whether she likes it or not, discussions about her race and the transition to playing pro ball have surfaced.

She hasn’t said anything that could inflame tensions between black and white players. However, deals she has already signed have sparked conversations about double standards in women’s professional basketball — even before her WNBA career has officially begun.

‘I think it’s a huge thing. I think a lot of people would say it’s not about black and white, but for me it is,” said Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson when asked about the racing element in Clark and before recently signing two major endorsement deals. .

“It’s really because as a black woman you can be at the top of what you are, but 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. No matter what we do as black women, we still get swept under the rug. That’s why my blood boils when people say it’s not about race, because it is.’

Parallels are already being drawn between Clark’s entry into the WNBA and Larry Bird’s rise as a star for the Boston Celtics in the 1980s.

Clark is an experienced hardcourt savant from Iowa. Bird was an experienced hardcourt savant from the state of Indiana. And like Bird, Clark has captivated audiences and brought unprecedented attention to women’s basketball, which can score from any corner of the court.

Neither Bird nor Clark were the first great white male or female professional basketball players. Jerry West is the actual NBA logo, and before Clark, the long list of talented white WNBA players included Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart.

But sports can be elevated by heated rivalry, especially when race is involved.

Clark’s rise has been accompanied by an on-court bravado that has her watching TV as she led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back NCAA championship games.

When Bird led the Sycamores to the title game in 1979, he faced off against Magic Johnson in one of the most watched games in NCAA Tournament history.

At Iowa, Clark’s on-court rival in the NCAA tournament was former LSU star Angel Reese. She then took on women’s juggernaut South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley.

The matchups created the kind of moments made for social media that captivated audiences regardless of gender.

The matchups also led to ongoing discussions about how race plays a factor in the treatment afforded to Clark, a white woman from “America’s Heartland,” compared to black counterparts like Reese.

Clark has said that she and Reese are just pieces of a larger movement.

“I would say Angel and I have always been great competitors,” Clark said prior to Iowa’s Elite Eight matchup with Reese and LSU in March.

“I think Angel would say the same thing, like it’s not just us in women’s basketball. That’s not the only competitive thing about our game, and that’s what makes it so good. To be really good, we need several people.’

Still, the race-based debate over perceived contempt for black players or favoritism toward Clark isn’t going away as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft prepares for her first regular-season game on Tuesday night when Indiana plays Connecticut.

“I think new fans, or maybe returning fans of women’s basketball, have been attracted. Partly thanks to Clark. But also because of the rivalry between LSU and Iowa,” said Victoria Jackson, a sports historian and clinical associate professor of history at Arizona State University.

“There are basketball reasons,” Jackson said, “but there are also racial reasons why Clark has ended up in a completely different stratosphere than the players who came before her.”

Due to the perceived double standard, almost everything related to Clark is questioned:

– Clark’s first preseason game was streamedbut not Reese’s.

-Clark gets an endorsement deal. Other established black stars, not so much.

– As Reese talk trash, it is considered unsportsmanlike. When Clark does it, she’s competitive.

– Reese received some criticism for going to the Met Gala before a game, raise questions Would there have been the same kind of scrutiny if Clark had been on the red carpet?

Wilson, who signed with Gatorade last week and announced Saturday she will get a signature Nike shoe, and others have cited how companies are clamoring to do business with Clark as an example of the disparity in the way players are treated.

Clark’s deal with Nike will reportedly pay her $28 million over eight years — making it the richest sponsorship deal for a women’s basketball player, and it includes a signature shoe.

Before Wilson’s announcement Saturday, the only other active players in the WNBA with a signature shoe were Elena Delle Donne, Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart — all of whom are white.

The perception goes further than just expressions of support.

While Clark’s preseason debut was available on the WNBA League Pass streaming app, a message appeared on the WNBA’s X platform incorrectly stated that all gamesincluding the debut of Reese and fellow rookie, former South Carolina standout Kamilla Cardoso for the Chicago Sky, would also be available.

So a fan available at the Sky’s game streamed it live. It was viewed more than 620,000 times.

In a apology post with explanation As for why the Sky game wasn’t also available, the WNBA said Clark’s game was available as part of a limited free preview of the streaming app.

There have also been racial components to the way Clark is treated on social media compared to others, especially Reese.

Reese, who previously spoke out about the vitriol she received online, was recently attacked again after missing a preseason workout to attend the Met Gala. Clark has also been the target of online criticism, but apparently not to the extent that Reese was.

Online hate speech accounts for around 1 percent of all social media posts in the context of sports, according to Daniel Kilvington, course director of Media & Cultural Studies at Leeds Beckett University in Leeds, England.

“While this may sound quite low, consider how much traffic there is online and how many posts are made every day,” says Kilvington, whose work with the Tackling Online Hate in Football research group has explored this issue through the sport of football.

“One percent is therefore 1% too high, because athletes are the primary targets of hate speech, harassment and death threats simply because they play a game they love.”

But as Clark’s popularity grows, so will the debate. Jackson thinks it’s a good time to talk about it openly.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard and read her as a generational talent,” the ASU professor said. “And every time we make those things, I immediately think, who are the other generational talents that we’ve had?

“And I think too often the athletes who are black women can be put into that category, haven’t had that kind of pouring attention. And especially the kind of general audience, crossover saturation that Caitlin Clark has had.

“There are overlapping, intersecting reasons why that is the case. But I don’t think we should think about it if the goal here is to achieve fair treatment of the athletes in the sport.’