Caitlin Clark has been in the news for the past few days after being crowned ‘Athlete of the Year’ by TIME magazine. In the interview with the magazine, Clark spoke at length about different aspects of her personal life and career. While it was definitely an interesting and enjoyable read, different people had many opinions on the things she mentioned.
Clark also went on to note that she was well aware of her white privilege in the league and that black WNBA players need to be given more credit. While this was definitely an appreciable comment, it did not sit well with activist/swimmer, Riley Gaines. Gaines, who has been notorious for her outspokenness, particularly in campaigning against the participation of trans women in women’s sports, dropped a tweet on X about Clark.
“No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral. She’s a phenom who inspires countless young girls to play & achieve, so I still have great admiration for her, but she missed the mark on this one.” Gaines said on X.
No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral.
She’s a phenom who inspires countless young girls to play & achieve, so I still have great admiration for her, but she missed the mark on this one.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 11, 2024
It is ironic that Gaines, out of everyone, would ask Clark to take a neutral stance on such a sensitive topic. And it is understandable that the tweet did irk many fans and players. Gabby Thomas, who is a track and field Olympian, also took to X to basically tell Gaines to ‘just sit this one out’.
Megyn Kelly Slams Caitlin Clark’s Comments About White Privilege
Clearly, many people seem to have taken an issue with Caitlin Clark’s comments about her white privilege. Not only Riley Gaines, but even TV personality Megyn Kelly, has come out to criticize Clark for her comment. Kelly took to X to criticize Clark and accuse of using her statement as an attention-seeking device.
Kelly also seemed to accuse Caitlin Clark of not embracing and instead apologizing for her ethnicity. She also went on to call Clark “Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad”. Meanwhile, Clark was asked about what she thought about Kelly’s statement on Wednesday by NBC host, Maria Taylor.
Appreciatively, Clark seems to have a strong head on her shoulders. The player commented that she only takes the opinions of people she loves seriously, which includes her teammates, her coaches and the people she sees every day. She also further pressed on her original statement that black WNBA players need to be appreciated more since the league was built on their hard work.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at papadanph@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
