Former WNBA player Ros Gold-Onwude opened up about how Caitlin Clark has responded to being at the forefront of racial tensions in the WNBA.
While the new Indiana Fever sensation has brought a lot of attention to the league, her massive star status has also been paraded by an outspoken fan base to stoke tension with a predominantly black league.
Speaking on DraftKings’ Good Follow Show, Gold-Onwude applauded Clark for calling out the toxicity of fans. However, she insisted the newcomer could have used her influence to do more.
“Caitlin has not taken a proactive approach around toxic fandom and what she wants to see in her fanbase,” she said. “Or be proactive against any form of hateful discourse surrounding WNBA and its players.”
‘However, when asked, she has spoken very clearly about these matters and taken a strong position that none of it is acceptable. She is against it and has denounced it.’
Former WNBA star Ros Gold-Onwude agreed to play Caitlin Clark in the WNBA race war
“This is where she has agency and how loud an advocate she wants to be, how loud an ally she wants to be for her fellow WNBA players, for her teammates,” Gold-Onwude added. ‘Players, women with whom she shares the dressing room, blood sweat and tears.’
“And it’s mostly black women, a number of people identify as LGBTQ. It is her choice – how she wants to participate as someone who is willing to say: I am them and they are me.”
The ongoing saga of racism from Clark’s fanbase began when she faced collegiate rival and fellow rookie Angel Reese throughout the season.
On her Unapologeically Angel podcast, Reese talked about how Indiana fans threatened her, followed her home and took AI-generated nude photos of her and sent them to her family members.
However, the Fever’s playoff showdown against the Connecticut Sun added fuel to the fire as Alyssa Thomas fumed over the racist abuse her team received from Indiana fans during the series. Fans focused on DiJonai Carrington’s eyelashes, while another wore a shirt that said “ban nails” with large fake nails coming out of each finger.
Clark (right) is defended by DiJonai Carrington in their first round
Clark was fouled hard by Carrington in Game 1 of the Fever-Sun playoff series
Alyssa Thomas spoke out about the ‘unacceptable’ racist abuse by Indiana Fever fans
Jason Whitlock claimed that ‘Dijonai Carrington stabbed Caitlin Clark in the eye with a fingernail’
“It’s been a lot of nonsense. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the racist comments from Indiana Fever fans in my 11-year career,” Thomas said.
“We had (Carrington’s) face on a serious thing that happened in this world and it’s frankly unacceptable. And there’s no place for that and we’ve been professional the whole time, but I’ve never been called anything like I have on social media.”
‘And there’s no room for it. Basketball is going in the right direction, but we don’t want fans who will relegate us and call us racist names. We already see what is happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that area.’
Additionally, the WNBA Players Union called on USA Today to fire journalist Christine Brennan after she was accused of fanning the flames in an interview with Carrington prior to Game 2.
“The 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 cannot hide behind your tenure,” the WNBAPU wrote in their statement.
Angel Reese (right) previously said she was the target of racist abuse from Clark fans
The WNBA players’ union called out journalist Christine Brennan in a recent statement
After crashing out of the playoffs, Clark referred to those who made racist comments as “trolls” instead of fans.
“It’s absolutely disturbing,” Clark said Friday. “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.”
“For me, that’s why I became a fan of this league, because these people were my idols. I grew up wanting to be like them,” Clark added. “So I think it’s the best thing we can do to continue to elevate and represent this league in a positive way.”
Gold-Onwude pointed out how quickly everything is moving for Clark, from a dynamic collegiate career to an explosive rookie season in the professional ranks. She then added that Clark should think about becoming more involved in discussions about the aforementioned issues this offseason.
“If we expect a 22-year-old to have the right words to address racial tensions in America, or to have the right strategy or understanding of her role in it, or her power in it… Or how her lack of participation can be seen, it takes a level of education,” she said.
“I’m curious to see how Caitlin uses this offseason to reflect, educate and maybe strategize, and then see how she responds.”