“Stephen A. Smith is Racist Towards White People”: Caitlin Clark Fans Pile on ESPN Face For Latest Lies

Stephen A. Smith was called out by WNBA fans after he attempted to rationalize the hard fouls on Caitlin Clark by other players.

“Stephen A. Smith is Racist Towards White People”: Caitlin Clark Fans Pile on ESPN Face For Latest Lies

Caitlin Clark (Image by FirstSportz)

Many people have come to recognize the WNBA as a major league worth following only because of Caitlin Clark. They chose to do it because Clark plays a brand of uptempo and skilled basketball that is hitherto unseen. She utilizes transition almost as well as men and her shooting range is like Steph Curry. She is a magnanimous, bubbly character who hasn’t put a foot wrong in public life, before or after her rise.

Yet, the way she is being characterized by ESPN does not reflect this. Too much of their coverage has been about centering other players and bracketing them alongside her. Clark does not receive the same amount of credit as fans give her for popularizing the game. The network also does not miss any chance to downplay her impact or skill level. Many of their analysts also put her in the same boat as players who make objectively dirty plays.

Caitlin Clark was fouled and hit hard all game long in their Commissioner’s Cup game against the Connecticut Sun. Former college rival Jacy Sheldon poked her in the eye and soon after, Marina Mabrey shoved her to the court. This is hardly the first instance of WNBA players being overly physical and antagonistic with her. Yet, Stephen A. Smith chose to assign blame to her for all the foul play she faces.

Speaking on First Take yesterday, Smith spelled out what he thinks is the reason for Clark being roughly fouled. According to him, since Clark is a trash talker and keeps her opponents in check, they are within their rights to hit her, foul and deck her the way Mabrey did on Tuesday:

There’s also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment sometimes. ‘Oh Caitlin can clap at you now. Caitlin can antagonize you now.’ Remember in college, Doggy (Mad Dog Russo), the whole Angel Reese thing started because Caitlin was giving it to everybody else. She was the one waving at their face. And that’s why when Angel Reese and LSU got a hold of her, Angel Reese was like ‘Yeah, it’s your turn.’

Caitlin Clark fans pile on Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith was painting a false picture during his First Take segment. It has long been cleared up – by Hailey van Lith and by others – that Caitlin Clark was doing the John Cena gesture in college at her own coaches. She also doesn’t have a pattern of committing flagrant fouls – at least not like the ones she puts up with. A sixth of all flagrant fouls in the WNBA last year were committed on Caitlin Clark.

Sophie Cunningham finds herself in the spotlight after backing Caitlin Clark
Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

As a national TV analyst, Smith is supposed to pursue these truths and factor them into his takes. But it’s clear that Smith has more time and energy for playing solitaire in NBA arenas than for the truth.

Fans have called Smith out for his lack of adherence to the truth. They also pointed out that a part of his schtick has now become all about painting white people in a dishonest, disingenuous light.

The lies will continue at ESPN, as they have for decades now. People like Stephen A. Smith are empowered to lie and put on larger-than-life acts in this day and age of media coverage. It’s up to fans and unbiased people to correct them, but the media also needs to serve its true purpose and cover sports with truth instead of lies.

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