Caitlin Clark and animosity around the ‘White and Straight’ superstar

It is a well-known fact that since Caitlin Clark arrived in the WNBA, major changes have occurred. Those changes were something other women’s basketball players have been longing for a long time. Which indicates that her arrival pushed those changes to take place now. Those changes are getting implemented mostly due to the tremendous coverage she is generating. But some say, she is getting all that fame due to her being ‘White and Straight’.

The first change she brought in was the introduction of chartered flights. All it took was one fan video of her struggling to move through a cramped commercial flight and her talking about it in the press conference. Then other superstars of the league started getting endorsement deals; again, a byproduct of the increased following the WNBA has generated through her. But most importantly, and something that will have a long-term effect, arenas are selling out.

But that is only when Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever are playing. This brings us to the point that, take her out of the equation and you have a league doing the same thing they have been doing for the past 28 years. But as many sports and entertainment experts have suggested, is it due to her being ‘White and Straight’? Or is it because she brings something else to the table?

Caitlin Clark is not the first white WNBA superstar

The WNBA has had its fair share of players who are ‘White’. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Lauren Jackson, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu are the names that come to mind. Excepting Ionescu, the others have won championships during their time. But they did not have the popularity a certain Candace Parker has enjoyed.

All of them have played in the league in the same situations Parker had. Yet, they cannot rival the now-retired WNBA legend for the endorsements or publicity her play has generated. Parker has now become the President of Adidas’ Women’s Basketball division. Something none of the other retired white superstars were even considered for.

But one should note that excepting her rookie season, Candace Parker did not light up the television ratings in later seasons. A prime reason for that was that Parker and other WNBA stars did not bring anything otherworldly to the game.

Sexuality is a preference, not a driving force for fame

Just like Candace Parker, Caitlin Clark is also straight. So is Sabrina Ionescu. Sue Bird did not come out as gay until the last years of her career. Lauren Jackson, her teammate at the Seattle Storm, is straight and happens to have mostly won a title in every country she has played for. She has also swept awards in every category she could throw her hat in.

Admittedly, in those days social media did not exist to push the fame of these players. But it does not take away from the fact that Jackson and Parker were two straight players who were legitimate superstars. Yet, it was Parker who beat Jackson and 4 other white women to be the MVP in her rookie year. That pushed her to the limelight despite Jackson being the most dominant player at the time.

But since then, the league has mostly seen gay women at the forefront. The straight players, due to reasons more to do with their play on the court, have not enjoyed the success and fame some of the gay players were garnering. Most of the players who earned endorsement deals and shoe deals were gay. Therefore, it is not correct to suggest that Clark’s sexuality aided her fame.

Fans want relatable excitement

When NBA players dunk, the cheers and roars are the loudest. But in the WNBA, it is a rare commodity. So, what in the women’s game has brought out the excitement from fans? The long-range shot. It adds an element of difficulty which fans have not seen before. Sabrina Ionescu’s 3-point challenge record and Caitlin Clark’s logo 3’s made it clear that fans want to see what is difficult to achieve.

Human nature is to seek entertainment from what they cannot do. Which is why they line up for tickets to watch games to be awed by stars. Why would a basketball fan line up at a WNBA arena to watch a game when all they see are standard layups and mid-range shots? For taller players, it is naturally expected to be good in scoring and defense.

However, when a smaller player goes out and dominates a game, it makes it more relatable. That sells more tickets and generates more views. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and more importantly Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry have generated more views and ticket sales than Shaquille O’Neal or Hakeem Olajuwon or Nikola Jokic.

Stephen Curry has become the most famous basketball player simply because of his ability to slither around the court, make difficult layups, jumpers, and most importantly, long range 3’s. Something the Indiana Fever superstar does. Her ability on the court has nothing to do with race or sexual orientation. Rather, her skills bring about relatable excitement which draws fans.

Therefore, to attribute Caitlin Clark’s success to her sexuality and race is a reaching take. Echoing the words of greats, LeBron James and Charles Barkley, Clark is a phenom and will do great things for women’s basketball and sports.

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