Former WNBA superstar Sue Bird criticized part of it new fan base Caitlin Clark spoke about her entry into the league this year during an episode of her podcast “A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe” on Wednesday.
the bird went so far To suggest that the large number of people who now follow the WNBA and the Indiana Fever because of Clark should not be considered fans of the team or even of Clark herself because of the agenda she claims to be pushing. Have been.
“It’s not Fever fans, it’s not Caitlin fans, it’s a larger group of people… We’re talking about a faction of the group that is pushing a racist agenda, and spreading hatred. Promoting and creating division online by acting as fans, I don’t know whether they like basketball or not, but we are those people. That’s the group we’re talking about. Not all Fever fans, not all new fans, just the ones that are out there pushing this s—,” the bird said,
Clark herself spoke out against certain segments of the WNBA fanbase during a Fever exit interview on Thursday after the Fever’s season ended in a first-round playoff sweep at the Connecticut Sun last week.
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September 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kaitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagen Images)
“They’re not fans. They’re trolls,” Clark said. “No one in our league should face any form of racism, derogatory or hurtful comments and threats.”
Clarke’s comments came when she was asked by the WNBA about Suns player Alyssa Thomas’ statement condemning racism by fans. accused fever fan Of racism after Connecticut’s Game 2 win.
“Honestly, it’s pretty crazy. I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced racial comments (as I have) from the Indiana Fever fan base. Honestly, it’s This is unacceptable. There is no place for this.” Thomas said in the postgame press conference.
Bird specifically pointed to the narrative that Clark has been intentionally targeted by WNBA players as a product of these non-fans, and believes that narrative has been the biggest driver of the issue of racism. is something that Clark and the league have recently felt the need to address. ,
Many of Clarke’s fans have expressed outrage over incidents in his rookie year in which he was physically abused by opposing players. In Game 1 of the Fever-Sky playoff series, Suns player Dijonai Carrington gave Clark a black eye when he drove his nail into the rookie’s eye in the first quarter.
Clark took an illegal hip check from Chicago Sky forward Chennady Carter on June 1, when the Sky player charged directly at the Fever rookie and knocked him down during a stoppage in play. After the game, Clark said that Carter’s hit “wasn’t a basketball game.”
Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky is charged with a serious foul against Kaitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Sky rookie and Clark’s longtime rival, Angel Reese, hit Clark in the head with his hand while trying to block a layup in a game between the two teams on June 16. Then in August, Sky player Diamond DeShields sent Clarke flying and then sliding across the hardwood. On a play that was later upgraded to a major-1 foul.
Bird said that the idea that players are intentionally targeting Clark is “the most outrageous thing” for players to think or say and that those beliefs are now appearing in the mainstream.
“A lot of people are operating under the assumption that these narratives, especially the targeting narrative, are true, and I would say that has led to almost all of the issues that we’re seeing. And that’s far from the truth. , and that’s why it’s so sad,” Byrd said.
However, Clark herself has been the victim of racist comments this season as well, not only from annoying fans but also from prominent figures in the media.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee called Clark a “white b—-” during an episode of his national television show on June 3 and later apologized. McAfee used the term when discussing how much popularity Clarke was bringing to the league compared to other players, saying, “I would like people in the media to keep saying, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this Novice class.’ No, just call it what it is. There’s a white b—- who’s a superstar.” McAfee later apologized.
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Kaitlin Clark reacts during the second half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagen Images)
In May, “The View” host Sunny Hostins said during an episode of that show that Clark’s popularity was, in part, due to “white privilege.”
Carrington called out Clarke in an X post in June, criticizing the rookie for doing more to highlight racism among her fans.
“Doug. How can anyone not be upset by his name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and the intersections of it all,” Carrington wrote. “We all look s—. We all have a platform. We all have a voice and they all carry weight. Silence is a luxury.”
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