Caitlin Clark has announced that her latest injury – a right groin sprain –will keep her out of the WNBA All-Star Game and high anticipated three-point shooting battle. The event is on July 19th at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Clark, the WNBA’s cash cow and hometown star, was supposed to headline the star-studded event.
Rob Parker Says Cancel WNBA All-Star Weekend & Give Refunds To Fans Because Clark Isn’t Participating
Now that she won’t be part of the event, several sports analysts have basically declared it a major failure because of Clark’s absence. Admitted WNBA hater Rob Parker went as far as to suggest that the WNBA cancel the weekend’s festivities.
“This is the second all-star game that Caitlin Clark has ruined, “said Parker on his “Odd Couple” radio show on Fox Sports Radio with co-host Kelvin Johnson. “She ruined the NBA when she wouldn’t take part in the three-point (shooting contest). And now she’s hurt…Her not playing, If I’m the commissioner of the WNBA, whoever that is. I would cancel WNBA All-Star weekend. And if I was a fan that brought tickets and plane tickets I would be on the phone. I want a refund. If Caitlin Clark’s not there I’m not coming. She’s like the Harlem Globetrotters, when she shows up, people show up in mass. You can’t have an All-star game without Caitlin Clark. The WNBA does everybody a favor. Mass refunds. Let everybody out.”
Parker’s rant was classic, but he didn’t bring race or hate or any of those elements into it. From the perspective of a guy who doesn’t really watch the WNBA, he believes without CC the event is a wash.
Skip Bayless Says Other Stars Are Happy Caitlin Clark Is Hurt, Predicts WNBA All-Star Ratings Plummet Without Her
On the other hand, Skip Bayless has been quiet since his departure from FS1 and since being named in a lawsuit that suggests he offered an employee millions for physical relations. However, he still knows how to give a hot take and ride the wave, so he decided to go for the low hanging fruit and create another “WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark” narrative to explain why they are happy she’s injured.
“No doubt other stars are privately happy Caitlin Clark will miss the WNBA’S All-Star weekend so they can get more of the attention they believe they deserve. Instead, plummeting ratings will drive home the fact SHE is by far the biggest reason for the W’s exploding popularity,” Bayless said, anticipating a terrible turnout for the events without Clark.
Bayless is suggesting that all of the other stars in the All-star game are glad Clark is not playing because they want the limelight to themselves. Not because they are greedy for attention, but because they feel that their artistry has been overshadowed by Clark’s superior play.
There’s been a narrative pushed by those divisive fans that have rallied around the idea of what Clark could represent rather than her basketball prowess, that the predominantly Black WNBA and its players are jealous of her. Not only them, but the league office and former players of all races have made comments that suggest the media obsession with Clark is a sore spot across the league.
The fights and verbal exchanges by Clark and her teammates with opposing players have only added to the emotional tea kettle that WNBA games have all of a sudden become.
Bayless is beating a dead horse by repeating the same narratives that have kept Clark at the center of the WNBA universe – for good or bad – for the past two seasons. He will see that fans will still come out to the All-Star festivities and pack the house in Indianapolis.
They will still be wearing their Caitlin Clark jerseys, and her energy will undoubtedly be in the building. There will be more than enough references to the All-Star captain and her Indiana team is well-represented with two other players in Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
