In a recent post on X, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan reflects back to a conversation she had with renowned sociologist and civil rights activist Dr. Harry Edwards, where he said the WNBA should have prepared for the racial backlash that would come from Caitlin Clark’s arrival.
Edwards is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and is widely regarded as the father of the sociology of sport. Brennan cited his influence as she leaned into her argument.
Since the A’ja Wilson incident and Kelsey Mitchell’s exit interview, the always-tense racial discourse in the WNBA is intensifying. I want to share what the great Dr. Harry Edwards suggested to me in an interview for On Her Game more than two years ago:
Brennan then tweeted that the WNBA hasn’t done any of the things that Edwards suggested would have prevented the cultural position the league is in now.
‘The WNBA did none of this,” she added in another X post.
Who Is Christine Brennan?
Christine Brennan was the Miami Herald’s first female sportswriter back in 1981. She was a full-time beat reporter for Washington’s NFL team in the 1980s and currently serves as an award-winning sports columnist with USA Today.
The WNBA’s explosion has created a whirlwind of opinion, criticism and passionate debate, which has often played out along racial lines. Brennan has been an advocate of Caitlin Clark dating back to her legendary days at Iowa. She’s been vocal in supporting the notion that WNBA players are jealous of Clark, and it’s racially motivated because her unprecedented greatness and popularity has lifted the league to new heights and overshadowed the accomplishments of players who were there before her arrival.
Clark losing in the first round of the WNBA playoffs hasn’t put an end to the conversation surrounding her alleged mistreatment by the league, players and referees.
The incident between A’ja Wilson and a fan who pointed at her during Game 2 of the Fever’s opening round series against the Las Vegas Aces created accusations of favoritism because Wilson was not suspended or ejected. She did receive a technical foul, but Clark fans wanted her to miss Game 3. The Fever’s loss, Clark’s bloodied lip and inconsistent shooting created more backlash among her fan base, and more conversation about a perceived double standard that exists when it comes to certain players not named Clark.
Fans React To Christine Brennan Saying the League Failed To Prepare For Caitlin Clark Narrative
Brennan clearly thinks it’s racially motivated.
She had her share of supporters who continue to victimize Caitlin Clark’s WNBA experience and agree with Brennan that the former commissioner mishandled Clark’s arrival.
“I’ve read your book and it’s so insightful. I was just shocked how ill-prepared, Cathy Engelbert was for Caitlin and her sheer refusal to accept the change and prepare her league,” one fan commented in the replies to her on X.
“The WNBA did the opposite and did nothing but encourage the open hunting season on Caitlin’s attitude for pretty much her entire first 3 years in the league. It took an Act of Congress to even get abuse to subside. Unacceptable. They quietly supported the abuse for watercooler talk,” another Clark fan agreed.
“Wasn’t even needed. These professional female athletes are out here literally setting back women’s sports because they don’t know how to out their big girl pants on and deal with the increased media and fan attention that comes with more funding and sponsorships thanks to Caitlin,” another complained.
The pushback was inevitable from WNBA fans who don’t agree with Brennan’s perspective on CC.
“She’s not Steph Curry she’s trey young or worse that’s the issue. She’s not a force multiplier, she needs all the help in the world. And has teammates that actually hate her because she doesn’t share the spotlight or lift them up.”
“Aug 2024? very outdated,” sports activist and journalist Chuck Modi said on X under the post. “Caitlin is not what was advertised as ‘the white Steph Curry’ (44% from 3) but ‘the white Trae Young’. Congress ppl, right wing exploiters & you have used her to promote white victimhood. Do you even read the bigoted comments that you ignite?”
Many fans are just tired of the narrative that continues to be pushed about the league trying to hold her back.
“Caitlin Clark’s impact is undeniable,” one fan commented. “Nobody has to diminish what she has brought to this league to say that the WNBA’s success, relevance and future do not begin and end with one player. Yet we keep getting dragged back to this same racialized narrative.”
Others accuse Clark fans of wanting to crown her without her actually outplaying the competition.
“Here is what’s funny about the whole white Steph Curry narrative,” expressed one netizen.”Steph Curry was not Steph Curry until he earned it. Before that he was undersized, sharpshooting, Dell Curry’s son. They want her coronated when the women of the WNBA are saying come snatch that. Let her compete,” one fan challenged.
In this phase of her career, Brennan has chosen to hitch her career to the Caitlin Clark express. She’s even written a book on Clark’s influence on the WNBA and women’s basketball called “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports.” It’s an instant New York Times bestseller that chronicles Caitlin Clark’s monumental rise from her record-shattering collegiate career at the University of Iowa to her historic rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
The WNBA playoffs are going on without Clark, but her fans and media will make sure she remains the story — and the victim.
