Posted in: Opinion, Sports, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: caitlin clark, espn, opinion, pat mcafee, stephen a. smith

WNBA Star Caitlin Clark Has ESPN's Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Losing It

Just discussing Caitlin Clark has ESPN's Pat McAfee dropping "white b****" and Stephen A. Smith playing defense about his past WNBA coverage.

So it seems college basketball sensation and WNBA Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has become a very popular topic of sports talk as of late – mostly because there are so many layers that the topic brings to the table. Is Clark getting too much attention – and too much credit for the WNBA's success? Is Clark not getting enough credit, and has she become a target on the court for jealous players looking to make a statement? Where was all of the WNBA coverage before Clark arrived? In between those questions are issues involving race, gender equality, and much more. Just to be clear? We're not going to be addressing pretty much any of that – because sometimes, the media needs to know when to say up front, "You know what? I'm sitting this one out? I don't know nearly enough to offer anything that would add to the conversation." But what is in our wheelhouse is when big issues like these start impacting that gray area where sports and entertainment blur the lines – as we had with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee.

Pat McAfee Defends Caitlin Clark – Right? Because We're Not So Sure…: Just so we're clear? The moment you attempt to address an issue this complex by going the "game show sketch" route, things are already off to a shaky start. During a segment on today's edition of The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee decided to champion Clark's cause and push back on those who claim that the WNBA's surging popularity is a result of the entire entering draft class (including Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso) and not just Clark. He did that by offering a rundown of stats and figures to make his case that Clark has been the one elevating the league – which is all fine and great. It's his prerogative to do.

But when he brought up the issue of race and the argument some are making that Clark is only popular because she's white, McAfee's response was seen by many as insulting and condescending towards Clark and not defending her (assuming that was his intent). "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 bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar," McAfee says at one point – with his use of "white bitch" grabbing attention. "Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she went about going for what she went for? Maybe," McAfee added. "But instead, we have to hear people say that we all like her 'cause she's white and she's only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they're doing.".

Stephen A. Smith Gets Reality Check From Basketball Analyst Monica McNutt: Ouch. To no one's surprise, Clark was also a big topic on ESPN's First Take – for the very reasons we explained above. As Smith, McNutt, co-host Molly Qerim, and Shannon Sharpe were debating the topic from a number of angles – sometimes very intensely – Smith noted that he didn't appreciate feeling like he needed to "watch every syllable" when it came to discussing the WNBA. "Welcome to the world of being a woman, Stephen A., and how you have to dance about your word choice and how you have to please everybody and anybody as you navigate your being," McNutt responded – which led to a conversation regarding the experiences of women and Black men in society.

"Who talks more about the WNBA, who talks about women's sports more than 'First Take'?" Smith asked at one point – and while it may have been meant rhetorically, the question got a very clear answer from McNutt. "Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to," the ESPN analyst responded. Though Smith looked and sounded shocked ("wow") by what McNutt had to say (and Qerim and Sharpe looked shocked/nervous), she doubled down on how Smith was late getting on the WNBA bandwagon, too.

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