Caitlin Clark is the most popular player in the WNBA. That’s not up for debate. But arguably the second-most popular player is Angel Reese.
Yet, there is a huge chasm in the way that the two must behave publicly. That became crystal clear when Clark received the Time “Athlete of the Year” award for 2024.
It was a no-brainer decision, given the unbelievable impact that Clark had on the WNBA in just one season.
She single-handedly turned the league into must-watch television for millions of Americans, something the league had never achieved before she got there.
But the black women in the league, and the hardcore left-wing radicals in the media, asserted that Clark’s popularity was solely because she’s white.
Caitlin Clark felt compelled to acknowledge her “white privilege” during an interview with <i>Time. </i>
(Lily Smith/The Register/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
It had nothing to do with the fact that she’s already the best female basketball shooter in history or that she set more than 60 records in her rookie season, they believed.
No, it was something outside of her control, her race, that was driving public enthusiasm for the basketball star.
To be clear, Clark’s race plays a role in her popularity. But it’s because she’s a white player dominating a mostly black league.
The best comparison for Caitlin Clark is Tiger Woods
People, of all races, were drawn to Tiger Woods because he was a black man crushing the competition in the historically white PGA Tour. How come Tiger Woods didn’t have to apologize for being black, even though that clearly aided his popularity?
But the media and WNBA players hounded Clark the entire season, demanding that she apologize for being white. And part of the reason so many applauded Clark was her courage to not give in to that pressure and stand her ground.
Clark earned every bit of the popularity she gained by dedicating her life to becoming the best possible basketball player she could be.
However, Clark is a human being. It took a while, but the pressure got to her. In her interview with Time, Clark essentially apologized for being white.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” she said. “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.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
“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.”
It’s unclear if Clark actually believed that, felt like she had to say that, or was told by a PR person to say that. Regardless, she said it.
The WNBA wasn’t “built by black women”
In fact, if you want to get really technical, the league was built by NBA owners who have paid for the league to exist for more than 25 years.
You could almost look at it as the ultimate DEI initiative, given that the NBA has lost money on its investment for nearly 30 years, but kept the league so that they could say that they were giving women a chance to be professional basketball players in America.
But back to the topic at hand, and as promised, I’ll bring it back to Angel Reese.
Caitlin Clark was, basically, forced to apologize for being white, something that Clark obviously couldn’t control. I don’t know about everyone else, but I was taught that we shouldn’t make fun of people for things they can’t control.
In that vein, we shouldn’t make people apologize for things they can’t control, either. But here we are with Clark.
While Caitlin Clark has to apologize for being white, Angel Reese isn’t asked to apologize for anything.
(Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
So, what does that have to do with Angel Reese? Consider this: Reese started her own podcast this season to take advantage of her rise in popularity. A smart business decision, to be clear.
What did Reese decide to title her podcast? Glad you asked. It’s called “Unapologetically Angel.”
There’s a clear double-standard between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but it’s the one the media wants you to believe exists
So, Angel Reese gets to announce that she will never apologize for being Angel Reese and is praised for that. I covered Reese in college, and she frequently talked about being “unapologetically me.”
The largely hardcore-left-wing women’s basketball media FAWNED over Reese and applauded her for “being herself.”
Isn’t that strange? The media never stops telling Caitlin Clark that she should be ashamed of being white, which is a large part of who she is, at least according to them.
Remember that these are the same people who believe that a person’s race is their number one defining characteristic. If we follow that logic to its natural endpoint, then those people want Clark to apologize for, quite literally, being herself.
All the while, Angel Reese never has to apologize for the exact same behavior.
That sounds, dare I say it… Racist?
Why does Caitlin Clark have to apologize for being white while Angel Reese openly talks about being unapologetic?
(Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
It’s too bad that the pressure got to Clark, and she felt compelled to acknowledge her “white privilege” – although, she didn’t exactly say what the privilege was.
Is it constant flagrant fouls in her direction? Other players on social media bashing her simply for existing?
No one ever really explains what “white privilege” consists of, it’s just another empty platitude.
It’s disappointing that Clark caved under pressure, but humans often choose self-preservation above all else, so it’s not entirely surprising.
But perhaps the saddest part is that Clark thinks she has no choice but to kowtow to a group that will never accept her for who she is, regardless of what she says.
She doesn’t get to live her life unapologetically. That privilege is only afforded to Angel Reese and the other black women in the WNBA.
