WNBA’s Caitlin Clark Wins TIME’s ‘Athlete of the Year,’ Promptly Goes Woke
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege.”
I haven’t followed Caitlin Clark’s college-to-pro-basketball trajectory super closely. But I’ve paid enough attention to her career to know that she’s resisted the relentless pull and tug from mainstream media and sports figures to go woke at a time when there has been a clear race-based resentment from some legacy WNBA players (and commentators) over Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom, starting in her days as an Iowa Hawkeyes basketball record-setter to being the star player for the Indiana Fever.
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end, though, and it looks like Clark’s resistance to woke forces has weakened, something we learned after it was announced that TIME Magazine had named her their “Athlete of the Year.”
Caitlin Clark is TIME's Athlete of the Year https://t.co/WtgLuIIYhb pic.twitter.com/oGDewhUPcB
— TIME (@TIME) December 10, 2024
In an article where there was a heavy dose of acknowledgment that some of the criticism of Clark comes from black female sports figures who claim her race was a “huge” factor in her success and in bringing new fans to the league, TIME claimed Clark was “cognizant of the racial underpinnings of her stardom” as though it was an established fact that her race got her to where she is today.
Here’s how Clark responded to it:
Clark is cognizant of the racial underpinnings of her stardom. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” says Clark. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Needless to say, Clark bending the knee to the Woke Mob did not go over well with people who had previously admired her staying above the noise machine:
Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The “oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.” Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad. https://t.co/cTzk0CTLPn
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 10, 2024
Woke Negroes Basketball Association Conquers Caitlin Clark. Inevitable. Send your young into leftist institutions don’t be surprised when they come home woke. pic.twitter.com/nqSCRxv2JO
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) December 11, 2024
Caitlin Clark had to issue this WNBA Land Acknowledgement in order to be allowed in polite company. But let's be real: the WNBA wasn't built on black women. It was built on NBA men who subsidized that useless league for decades. pic.twitter.com/FlNEWs1clY
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 11, 2024
Caitlin Clark is aware Trump won and there was no reason to destroy her ballooning popularity like this, right?
Her PR person needs to be fired immediately.
— David Giglio (@DavidGiglioCA) December 11, 2024
Did anyone actually think Caitlin Clark wouldn’t bend the knee? https://t.co/cMEymimaoW
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 10, 2024
Caitlin Clark was bigger than the league. She didn’t have to do it. They would’ve never been able to get rid of her. She’s the whole show. But she needed an all-time support system to withstand the pressure and didn’t have it. They abused her into submission.
— T.J. Moe (@TJMoe28) December 11, 2024
Disappointed in Caitlin Clark, but she’s about to learn a valuable lesson.
Even when you bend the knee to bullies they will still continue to come for you.
Now that they all know Clark is weak—it will only get worse for her. https://t.co/d4b3twfkZg
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) December 11, 2024
But she has to do the dance. The sports world is more woke than even the left-wing press.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) December 11, 2024
My thought process on this is that while her comments are disappointing, Clark is still young and getting her sea legs in a league where the huge egos and the propensity for hurt feelings are just as dominant and prevailing as they are in any other professional sports league, where rings also have to be kissed.
Right now, she’s just trying to play ball and get away from being turned into the spectacle, and she’s saying what she thinks she needs to do in order to earn respect from people from whom she likely will never get it. As soon as she grows up a bit more and figures that out she’ll probably look back on these comments and cringe.
In any event, it’s just another reminder not to put sports icons too high up on pedestals because they are human, and it is inevitable that, at some point, they are bound to let you down.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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Comments
BOTTOM LINE: She’s just another dumb jock.
Clark’s rivals literally want her dead, or at least maimed and crippled (a finger purposefully jammed into an eye socket) – while Kelly sits behind her microphone talking crap.
Strong females like Riley Gaines who don’t drown in a sea of peer pressure are way more the exception than the rule.
After a speech at UCSF Gaines was physically attacked by trans activists. She was pretty shook up about the incident.
Now imagine competitors swimming into Riley’s lane and purposefully doing harm on her – and doing so for weeks on end for an entire season.
Yeah, it never happened. It’s a simple thought experiment.
I’m done caring about this.
Clark is obviously a supremely talented athlete but she’s just a kid.
My kids are just a bit older and while they’re wonderful, smart and I love them, they’re not wise in the ways of the world.
The 20 year old version of myself would have been so excited if Time magazine (a big deal back then!) wanted to put me on the cover.
60 year old me would tell Time that under no circumstances are they to use my image, my likeness, etc and if they do I’ll sue them into the Stone Age.
Clark gets a pass from me. She’ll learn. Give her time.
I’d be honored to be on the cover of Time, but I’d insist they print my complete and unfiltered opinion of their work over the years. It would offer me an opportunity to reach the CNN crowd, both of them at once.
She’s an adult…pluuuzeee… I’ve seen high school kids with more brains and common sense and backbone than she will ever have
Man, she was so close to be a legend 😂😂
An award from Time, that now weekly pamphlet famous for its earlier “of the year awards” to people like Hitler. She must be so proud.
It’s not an award. TIME named Hitler man of the year in 1938, because in its honest assessment he was. And it was probably right.
Who do you think was the true man of the year in 1938? Who had a bigger impact on the news that year than Hitler did?
Is she a tranny still in the closet? Looks like a dude. Well when the WNBA fades to black she can always offer outdoor showings of her glory days on that forehead.
Bullshit!
“says Clark. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.”
I repeat. Bull shit!!!
The league is nothing more than many mediocre female basketball players who happen to have the privilege of being black racists, supported by a black racist NBA.
The fact that Caitlin Clark was an exceptional ball player who brought more attention and attendance to the WNBA is the only reason she was given an opportunity to play. No one could deny her abilities.
Yes, there are a few players in the WNBA who are stellar players, but that is ruined by the racist attitudes those players carry like a boulder on their shoulder.
To give credit where it is due, Tiger Woods similarly brought blacks to the game of golf when it was dominated by stuffy white guys. If it weren’t for his capabilities, those white guys would have kept him off the tee in a similar way.
“Right now, she’s just trying to play ball” – sums it all up
For me, the ideal attributes of women are character, personality, beauty, intelligence, child rearing and cooking.
Playing basketball doesn’t make the list.
Barefoot and pregnant?
Dang, glad you aren’t my granddaughters grandad
So disappointing
So very disappointing
I’m done and I went way out of my way to watch her and support her
Dumb B
My daughter played D1. Basketball and. Wing half Hispanic and half “white”
Believe me, no body gave her anything and she was always the star of the team
She put in the time and effort to be that good
Cat just dissed all the white girls
All of them
Idiot
She dissed all white people, as well as anyone else who doesn’t want to be judged by the color of their skin.
I’m surprised at the vitriol poured over her given how unattractive she is. Generally such venom is saved for gorgeous blondes. I say just leave her alone and forget it.
Well there goes what little increasing increase they had in ticket sells with her.
2 points
1 . She was not picked for the Olympic team supposedly because the women’s coach did not want flack from the other some of the other players.
2. She worked and earned her awards, reputation , etc.
3 Attendance has improved in the WNBA games when she is playing.
This is so sad. Where is her support. Maybe she should have a conversation with Riley Gaines. Maybe refs should also make legit foul calls.
“Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad.” I think her starting salary was like under 100K. I don’t blame her for selling out.
She has time to fix this. Less than half are AA coaches. Kinda funny.
In fairness, thw WNBA money she received was a max value rookie contract. But, she also made millions through endorsements this year.
What an utterly useless brain dead wokester….as always white liberal women are the worst … I hope she gets what she’s begging for good and hard… to be a doormat for people who hate her and will always hate her. I hope those supporters of her wake up and walk away
Dumb move.
The WNBA is a pathetic joke that will do the most for society when it is finally laid to rest. No one cares to watch women’s basketball, and now since the lowlifes in the WNBA have shown themselves to be almost all dirtbags of the worst kind I imagine that there will not be much interest left in that boring non-spectacle, Clark or not.
Spoken like someone who has never seen a WNBA game…
Anyone who saw her pr team knew this was coming a mile away.
First lesson for any “white” person (and, conservatives of all ethnicities) — never bow down to, kowtow to or otherwise engage in Maoist “struggle sessions” to attempt to curry favor with, and/or/insulate yourself from criticism from, the vile, stupid and evil Dhimmi-crats/leftists. Feckless and cowed capitulation to the Dhimmi-crats’ ideological fanaticism and contrived propaganda lexicon is a swift path to self-destruction.
Rule 1 of dealing with bullies is never appease as it will only encourage them. She will find this out. The women that play in the WNBA are there because of talent. To insinuate the rest of us are where we are because of privilege and not talent is an insult. They will find this a poor marketing strategy.
She’s getting the crap beat out of her by racist thugs and the league has shown they have no intention of doing a thing about it. People have done stuff to her that would get them fined and suspended in the NBA. She’s trying to keep herself from getting her career ended by injury.
Lawsuits are out of the question why?
She bent the knee because that’s the only way she’s going to keep both of them in one piece. Otherwise some jealous bitch will smash it some night and end her season and possibly her career.
Caitlin Is young, The NBA started with mostly Black Players because of their skill, not because they are black. Like all Pro teams Caitlin got the job because of her skill, not because she is white. Some may say there is an overabundance of black NFL players and I hear no Black privilege complaints. If something exists then it exists in some amount. If it exists in some amount then it can be measured. Pray tell us the measurement of this so called white privilege.
‘Privilege’ is an ugly word invented by race baiters who were not satisfied by the word “bias.” There is a bias in favor of good white basketball players. They sell more pop and posters because they look like most of the customers.
Now that she has conceded weakness, what will the next step be by the bullies? Apparently, young folks don’t know how to deal with bullies. Hopefully, she’ll learn. One way or the other.
If I read something like this that doesn’t use the same case letter in “white” and “black”, I automatically view it as a racist statement, even if only subtly. Either capitalize them both or don’t. If you use Black, also use White or black and white. If you distinguish the two you’re telling us what you are and it’s not a complement.
.
There is racist narrative with blacks that basketball is supposed to be their sport. Whites should be no more than 25% of any team, and the star players should be black. White players who don’t fit that narrative must apologize for something.
An old phrase from the 1970s comes to mind: She’s been successfully Mau Mau’d. Cheers –
She’s young. She may learn it is best not to appease the bullies whomever they are. She trained to be this good and she need not apologize to any one for her skill and performance. Best to her in the future.
Just giving her the benefit of the doubt here, I think she’s playing a woke PR game futilely to placate all the petulant, vituperative black racists that are her team mates, competition and sports media. As already pointed out above, it’s the wrong time for it, given the political-downstream-of-cultural flux we’re in, and if her PR pros put her up to it, run them off. She’s about to learn the hard lesson that there’s never enough “mea candidus culpa ” groveling you can do for this bunch.