Jemele Hill questions the Caitlin Clark hype and accuses media of snubbing black players

Former ESPN writer and co-host Jemele Hill has called into question the hype surrounding Caitlin in women’s basketball as she accused the media of not covering Black players as much as the Iowa star.

While you’re talking to uproxx.com Speaking last week about Clark’s rise to fame, Hill said last week that the Lady Hawkeyes star is only benefiting from a sudden increase in attention, despite acknowledging that the 22-year-old point guard “sparks general curiosity.”

‘Everything about this sport has been on the rise for years. Not only did it start with Caitlin Clark, but they’re covering it as it happened,” Hill, who is now a contributing writer for The Atlantic, shared. “And so a false narrative is already emerging that is doing the public a disservice.”

Hill then blasted the media for doing a “terrible job” of covering women’s sports, saying that doing so only “overloads the media in one direction,” referring to the coverage that white players like Clark or UConn star Paige Bueckers compared to former South Carolina star and current Aces forward A’ja Wilson.

“(Wilson) is probably the best player in the world right now,” Hill said. “And I’m not trying to pretend there’s no coverage, but the coverage that sometimes non-white women get, or specifically black women, isn’t even close. It’s two against one.’

Former ESPN writer and co-host Jemele Hill isn’t just about the hype the media is giving Caitlin Clark

Hill mentioned UConn star Paige Bueckers as another white female basketball player who has more coverage than her Black counterparts

“I mean, Aliyah Boston was the best player in college a few years ago. And she didn’t get even a tenth of the media attention that Caitlin Clark did. Some people would say, ‘Oh, it’s her game.’ But I don’t think that was it. She’s great on television, and I think, ‘what a missed opportunity for the national media to really elevate who she was as a person.

“Caitlin Clark seems like a great personality, but it’s not like Caitlin Clark says crazy things. They only cover her excellence, and that is good enough. While Black athletes feel like they are getting equal or even fair coverage, there has to be something extra (outside of basketball).”

Hill praised Clark for her mentality and overall play, as she believes the NCAA women’s record holder for total points will have no problem adapting to the WNBA and also help the league grow.

Clark’s double-double performance (41 points and 12 assists) in Iowa’s Elite Eight victory over LSU – the reigning national champion – set a basketball viewership record of an average of 12.3 million viewers and received the best ever for a women’s sporting event.

Hill said A’ja Wilson gets less coverage than Clark despite being the best WNBA player around

Stephen Curry has been mentioned by Hill as the male hooper that Clark draws inspiration from

Clark and her Iowa teammates now face Bueckers and UConn in the Final Four on Friday, with the winner of that game facing undefeated South Carolina or NC State in Sunday’s national championship game.

“To me, Caitlin Clark was always Steph Curry. It always was him,” Hill said, comparing both players. “And even if you consider LeBron (James) the best player of this generation, which would be correct, Steph Curry’s biggest impact on basketball at any level was Steph Curry.

“I feel like Caitlin Clark will continue to do that because even the reasons why she plays, the way she plays, is because of Steph Curry.

“I can only imagine how many little girls and young female athletes try to copy everything she does, and I think that’s a great thing for the sport.”