Maybe not the best choice of words, eh there Pat?
Caitlin Clark has, as expected, been the big story out of the WNBA this season after the Iowa women's basketball superstar was the #1 pick in the draft for the Indiana Fever.
There have been plenty of think-pieces written about what she means for the league, analyzing not only her every move but the move of everybody around her. And that reached a fever pitch over the weekend when Clark took a cheap shot from Chennedy Carter during a game against the Chicago Sky.
https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1796957757456687235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1796957757456687235%7Ctwgr%5Ec8e24c32c67b0e220dff854db22cf0fe97e9cee9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F06%2F02%2Fchennedy-carter-keeps-talking-trash-following-caitlin-clark-cheap-shot-as-angel-reese-chicago-sky-get-hit-with-fines%2F
Carter's teammate, Clark's fellow WNBA rookie and college rival Angel Reese, was seen celebrating on the bench after Clark took the hit. And after the game, Carter doubled down with some shots at the WNBA's newest superstar:
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1797329078443225466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1797329078443225466%7Ctwgr%5Ec8e24c32c67b0e220dff854db22cf0fe97e9cee9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F06%2F02%2Fchennedy-carter-keeps-talking-trash-following-caitlin-clark-cheap-shot-as-angel-reese-chicago-sky-get-hit-with-fines%2F
Of course the answer to Carter's question about what Clark brings to the table would be "more than you," considering that in just 10 games Clark has managed to nearly match Carter's stats from her entire WNBA career.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolTate/status/1797363427955908890
But anyway...that's not what we're here to talk about. Just some necessary background.
Pat McAfee has been one of Caitlin Clark's biggest fans and defenders, and the former punter turned ESPN star was even seen waiting around after the game this weekend to greet Clark.
So today on his show, he spent some time sticking up for Clark amidst all of the heat she's taken from fellow players (and even some in the media). But he used an unfortunate choice of words while trying to get his point across:
"What the WNBA currently has is what we like to describe as a "cash cow." There is a superstar...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."
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1797669440785649746
Yeah, we know what he was trying to say, but maybe calling her a "white bitch" wasn't the best way to stick up for her.
And the outcry after the segment was immediate:
https://twitter.com/ParagonDon605/status/1797681157380935841
https://twitter.com/ItsMeghanLHall/status/1797679971483451856
https://twitter.com/lakeshow73/status/1797713113174901016
https://twitter.com/NickHamilton213/status/1797698598408429972
Well not long after his show, McAfee issued an apology, and said he had also reached out to Clark to apologize directly:
"I shouldn’t have used “white bitch” as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark. No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe. My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize… I have sent an apology to Caitlin as well. Everything else I said… still alllllll facts."
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1797723349931438568
McAfee made it clear, though, that he wasn't backing down from standing up for her as a rookie phenom.
It seems like everything involving Caitlin Clark turns into a major story - and honestly, a large majority of the time it's through no fault of her own. Whether it's because nobody knows how to handle covering a WNBA star like her, or the fact that the league hasn't HAD a star like her before, it seems that the rookie knows how to draw attention wherever she goes.
