Caitlin Clark doesn’t need to be held liable for the worst takes about her

Media periods have been a crowded occasion for the Fever this season, however it’s had little to do with the on-court efficiency of one of many league’s worst groups. As a substitute, it’s typically been about Caitlin Clark and the storylines which have adopted her, from Chennedy Carter’s laborious foul to the rookie sensation being left off Crew USA.

Thursday was no totally different. Cameras flocked to Gainbridge Fieldhouse not as a result of the Fever had been returning residence for the primary time in two weeks, however due to one other storyline about Clark away from the court docket.

Throughout Fever shootaround on Thursday morning in Indiana, Clark was requested by Jim Trotter of The Athletic for her ideas on her title being utilized in “tradition wars” which have largely sparked up lately after she was left off the U.S. Olympic roster heading to Paris, making a firestorm of reactions from followers to politicians alike.

Whereas her response to questions on that could possibly be considered as an try and keep away from additional stoking the flames, it didn’t do a lot to smother them, both.

Clark has reiterated a number of instances all through her rookie season that she is each not on social media, and doesn’t talk a lot with these across the league, exterior of former Iowa teammate Kate Martin. Her focus has been on her Fever teammates and dealing on bettering on the court docket.

But when one felt like that reply left one thing to be desired, they weren’t alone. In actual fact, Dijonai Carrington of the Connecticut Solar took explicit points with Clark’s response and tweeted about it.

To be clear — and to push again on some extra dangerous religion narratives — not each WNBA participant feels that method. In an look on “Podcast P with Paul George,” Dallas Wings ahead Satou Sabally provided empathy for Clark.

“It’s actually, actually laborious to place that a lot stress on a younger lady to be a spokesperson for issues that the US, and actually globally and traditionally, now we have struggled with as a complete society,” Sabally mentioned. “Are you able to speak about white privilege? Sure you possibly can. However do it’s a must to be the spokesperson for that? I don’t suppose so. If that doesn’t come from her, I believe it’s unfair to place that burden on somebody.”

It’s additionally completely plausible that Clark hasn’t seen a lot of the controversy or tradition wars surrounding her title, contemplating how little she says she is on social media. But it surely’s additionally completely truthful to anticipate extra out of her in denouncing any kind of bigotry as properly.

Whereas Clark will not be liable for how her title is used, it’s additionally naive to disregard the way it’s been used and what has occurred to those that have fallen into her orbit this season. Even when Clark doesn’t recurrently use social media, the likes of the Sky’s Chennedy Carter and Carrington, who additionally went considerably viral on Monday in her sport in opposition to the Fever after mocking Clark following a foul name, do.

And people gamers have been subjected to a few of the most excessive nastiness that comes with being on-line. They’ve been those which have handled the racism and bigotry that Carrington tweeted about. The Sky, for instance, had a person wait exterior their resort to harass them as they exited the bus simply days after Carter’s laborious foul in opposition to Clark.

Even Clark’s teammate Aliyah Boston discovered herself within the crossfire. After struggling to start out the season, Boston deleted her social media off her cellphone as a result of all of the hate levied her method.

All of this has lengthy since crossed the road previous regular basketball discourse to turn into one thing a lot worse. Chiney Ogwumike, a former WNBA participant turned analyst for ESPN, has provided impassioned pleas on a number of events, talking out in opposition to the polarization across the league. The dialog has veered away from sports activities and into much more severe discussions about race, gender and sexuality, with Clark’s title proper on the middle of a lot of them.

Clark didn’t ask to be concerned in a lot of this. She didn’t ask to be fouled by Carter. She didn’t ask to be left off Crew USA. And she or he isn’t asking for her title for use in these aforementioned tradition wars, both.

However whereas Clark can sit again and never hear the noise, many round her, pal or foe, don’t essentially have that luxurious. And silence from Clark not solely doesn’t assist the difficulty, it could possibly be perceived by some as a silent endorsement of the actions.

Posed with an opportunity to deal with the subject once more previous to Thursday’s sport in opposition to the Dream, Clark had a a lot stronger response to a query from James Boyd of The Athletic.

Given the good thing about hindsight, Clark probably would have gone with the second response to the primary query to keep away from the scenario. Whether or not the delay was a matter of realizing she wanted to phrase her reply higher, or the extra direct query resulting in a extra clear, direct response, Clark’s feedback pregame had been far more forceful, even when they nonetheless probably received’t fulfill those that really feel she hasn’t achieved sufficient to name out these utilizing her title to gas racist and homophobic narratives.

It’s additionally price remembering that Clark goes by means of all of this for the primary time. She’s a 22-year-old rookie who was thrust into the highlight for the WNBA. She’s been forged into a task as a spokesperson for points that existed lengthy earlier than her, and should not but be snug with that standing.

Faculty provided a kind of insulation that led to her not being fairly on the middle of those issues as typically, save for maybe her showdown within the nationwide title sport in opposition to Angel Reese and LSU.

However Iowa is in her previous. Clark is likely one of the faces of the WNBA and, truthful or foul, her phrases — or, in some circumstances, her lack of them — are below a brand new stage of scrutiny. It’s the blessing and the curse of dwelling a dream within the public eye.

Clark shouldn’t be liable for the worst takes about her. However as she seemingly discovered on Thursday, silence about them isn’t the proper strategy both.

You may observe Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.