Caitlin Clark was a big topic of conversation even before she entered the WNBA, of course, but the recent hard foul she took from an opposing player seems to have put things into overdrive. And much of the conversation centers on race:
- Analyst apologizes: ESPN's Pat McAfee tweeted an apology for calling Clark a "white b----" during a segment in which, despite that term, he was defending her. "I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe." In the original segment, McAfee weighed in on media coverage of Clark: "I would like the media people that continue to say, 'This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.' Nah, just call it for what it is: There's one white b—- for the Indiana team who is a superstar."
- Necessary: At the Athletic, Andrew Marchand writes that McAfee was right to apologize. Yes, Clark got roughed up by a flagrant foul by Chicago's Chennedy Carter, and it appeared that Carter used the very same word. "But talking on the court, WNBAer to WNBAer, is different than shooting your mouth off on the airwaves. It is not the same," writes Marchand.