Caitlin Clark has sparked controversy following her being hailed as TIME Magazine’s 2024 Athlete of The Year. Among the statements she gave in her interview with the magazine for her award, what stood out was her comment about “white privilege,” which sparked discussion amongst fans, industry experts, and media personnel. Amongst these was Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson, who criticized TIM and Clark over the award given. In the midst of this, American tennis legend Chris Evert came to Clark’s side to defend her.
In an interview with CNN, Mystics co-owner Johson questioned TIME for giving Caitlin Clark the Athlete of The Year award and asked why the WNBA was not given an award as a whole.
“Caitlin Clark was named [TIME Magazine] Athlete of the Year,” Johnson said. “Why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said ‘The WNBA is the league of the year’? Because of all the talent that we have?”
Johnson went on about the problem of “singling out a player,” which she claims sparked issues of racism in the league.
“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” she continued. “So, you’re starting to hear stories of racism in the WNBA and I don’t want to hear that. We have got to operate and become stronger as a league and respect everybody [who’s] paying and their talent.”
Despite the criticism, American legendary tennis player Chris Evert came to Clark’s defense on X.
“Caitlin Clark deserves this award because of her talent and contributions both on and off the court,” Evert said.
Caitlin Clark deserves this award because of her talent and contributions both on and off the court…
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) December 14, 2024
Washington Mystics Co-Owner on “Caitlin Clark Effect”: “I Wanna Be Diplomatic About This
Regardless of one’s view on Caitlin Clark, there is no denying that she brought in numbers to the NWBA the league has never seen before. Her popularity and appeal to the audience brought in record-breaking ticket sales, record-setting viewership, and even a huge increase in revenue from WNBA merch sales.
When asked about her take on the so-called “Caitlin Clark” effect, Johnson expressed her “diplomatic” opinion on the matter.
“I wanna be very diplomatic about this,” the Mystics co-owner said. “It’s just the structure media plays out race, I want to be very honest. I feel really bad because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never had the recognition that they should have and I think right now it is time for that to happen.”
Some of Caitlin Clark’s achievements and accolades from her rookie season in the WNBA included being Rookie of the Year, a WNBA All-Star, and record-breaking season stats.
For more sports content:
Follow me on X at @ErnestLeo, and follow us at @WisconsinHeroics, @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Ernest Hernandez via email at ernestleo@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Ernest also manages a YouTube account called Sports On Air with over 103 thousand subscribers. The channel contains interviews predominantly from the Philippine Basketball Association. They can be reached at sportsonairph@gmail.com.
