Will Jealousy, Race[ism?], and the Trans Trend Ruin This Opportunity for Women's Basketball?

NCAA basketball this season has brought historic attention to the women’s game, and, of course, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has been credited with making this happen. For decades, women players have not gotten the attention they, arguably, have deserved. This is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for women’s basketball. Now is the time to celebrate the shift, right? Unfortunately, many are looking sideways at Clark—complaining, undermining, and suggesting she should stay in her [white] place. Then you’ve got champion South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley saying men who consider themselves women should be allowed to take over the game. What a shame it would be if jealousy, race/racism, and the ridiculous commitment to transgender ideology ruined this golden moment.

You can hardly go on the Internet without seeing the amount of criticism surrounding Caitlin Clark. To a certain extent, that’s good news. I, for one, have never seen so many people discussing, debating, and going deep in discussions about women’s basketball. This includes guys. It’s probably more accurate to say it’s mostly guys. I believe women are still far behind men in their acknowledgement of the value of women’s basketball, but that’s a conversation for another day. But today, let’s just say the attention that this season’s tournament, in particular, has garnered is unique. The viewership that has surpassed men’s sports on the collegiate and professional level testifies to that. This is what women athletes have desired and worked hard for.

Rather than celebrating, some are talking about how this is about more than Caitlin Clark and the media are dissing South Carolina and black athletes are being overlooked. As I covered on my podcast in an episode entitled “What if Iowa Basketball Superstar Caitlin Clark Were Black?” a white journalist even wrote an article called “Women's Basketball Needs Faces of Future to Be Black.”

In responses to some of the nonsense out there, I’ve read several social media comments asking why women are always so jealous of other women, why Jemele Hill continues to race-bait, why some WNBA players are hatin’ on Clark. We can get deep into the discussion about any validity in some of the critique, but the bigger question is, “Do the players and fans not recognize that the attention Clark has earned is a benefit to every one of them?”

Like others, I know there have been great players before Clark, but I also know this girl is special, a talent who has lifted the sport in ways none of the others have been able to do, who has brought a style of play that has NBA players giving her props, that has folks gathered around television screens to see how far the threes will be falling from this night. Eyeballs on Caitlin are eyeballs on others. Clark has caused more people to see—and care about—the talent of Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers, Kamilla Cardoso, Cameron Brink...as well as the players who have paved the way. These ladies are doing their thing. None of them demanded the depth of attention and conversation, however, but each of them and many others will gain from it: more coverage on television, more discussions on podcasts, and—don’t sleep on this—more leverage in negotiating WNBA salaries. Instead of people letting their egos get in the way, they might embrace the old saying": “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Ride the wave, ladies, and don’t shoot yourselves in the foot with pettiness or cattiness. And, please, stop acting like Clark needs to apologize for being a white girl who can ball.