Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has certainly faced a tumultuous few years in the spotlight.
The young basketball phenom has been the target of dirty plays, constant criticism and all-around cattiness from many of her fellow WNBA players, as well as the media at large.
Perhaps it’s all because Clark doesn’t want to use her popularity to promote the edicts of social justice. Or maybe it’s just because she’s a white girl from the Midwest. Either way, Clark has found herself victim to constant attacks and criticism from those with ulterior agendas.
They seek to minimize her in an attempt to elevate women’s basketball. Why? Because if all this new interest in women’s basketball is just due to one woman, rather than the sport more broadly, then that means women’s sports haven’t come along quite as far as the liberal media would like us to believe.
Which, in turn, would mean that gender equity — as the left sees it with women and men represented identically in all aspects of society — isn’t quite yet on its way.
Given that context, it’s no surprise that ESPN is minimizing Clark in its latest 2024 WNBA rookie rankings.
The sports network chose to place Clark’s rival Angel Reese of the Chicago Skye in the number one spot ahead of Clark on Thursday.
The ranking took into account a composite of various obscure advanced statistics. Those statistics, hand-picked by ESPN, found Reese to somehow be the more valuable player.
This is despite the fact that, when compared side-by-side, Clark’s numbers are clearly more impressive.
Will Caitlin Clark win WNBA Rookie of the Year?
Reese is averaging 14 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists, shooting 41.9 percent from the floor.
Clark is averaging 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists, shooting 39.8 percent.
Given that Reese is a low-post player, her rebound totals and field goal percentage are expected to be higher. But Clark remarkably managed to almost match Reese’s field goal percentage despite shooting far more threes.
Between her assists, higher point total and ability to stretch the floor, creating open shots for the rest of her team, Clark has clearly been the more impactful rookie.
What’s more, Clark has set multiple WNBA records this season.
The former Iowa University superstar is the fastest WNBA player to reach 300 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists, per ESPN. She was also the WNBA’s first-ever rookie to record a triple-double.
It seems that the media and others think the current uptick in interest in women’s basketball is only in small part to do with Clark.
They are wrong.
Clark is the reason people are tuning in. She’s the sole reason.
The more they minimize her, the more they minimize the sport altogether.
