Let me begin by saying that while Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star and first pick of the recent WNBA draft, is a very talented basketball player and has drawn many fans to women’s basketball, she is a rookie and FAR from dominating the pro game the way many of her supporters expected her to coming out of college.
No, Clark didn’t ask for those expectations, but they were affixed by some within the media (and on social media) after her record setting collegiate career. Such is the reason why each and every basket, assist, steal, rebound, and turnover that Clark creates will be analyzed over and over again for many years to come.
And while the jury is still out as to how great Clark will be as a professional, I submit that I wholly disagree with ALL notions that I keep seeing on social media that she is the modern day version of Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Jesse Owens, or Wilma Rudolph—Black athletes who experienced the WORST of American racism and still DOMINATED their sports during the era of legal segregation! These comparisons stem from the fact that Clark is a white woman playing a game dominated by Black women, the latter of whom have been branded as “haters” and “jealous” by many white sportscasters and enthusiasts, and even by some Black sports personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and LeBron James!
Case in point: Folks have been clutching pearls this week about Clark being fouled pretty hard during her recent game against the Chicago Sky, one in which she renewed on court acquaintances with Angel Reese, the LSU star who mocked her “you can’t see me” hand over the face gesture repeatedly during LSU’s 2023 National Championship game win over Iowa.
Such commenters conveniently forget that those Jim Crow era Black trailblazers had to deal with FAR worse disrespect from opponents, fans, and even their own government leaders—not to mention the occasional death threats from assorted KKK and affiliated degenerates!
In fairness, I don’t think that Clark even sees herself in that kind of racial pioneering light, and I am certain that those who are making her out to be some type of “reverse racism” martyr do so not based on objective facts, but on their opinion based agenda to elevate right wing anti-Black backlash to some level of respectability, which it NEVER will be in the minds of people with a true understanding of history—and a base modicum of common sense.
And yet, as anyone who has ever played or coached a sport or activity can attest, Clark, just like Reese and the other members of their rookie class, must take their lumps, pay their dues, and continue to pursue their passion on the court—while thrilling old and new fans with their immense talents!
Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
"Real Politics in Real Time"
Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
