Some Caitlin Clark fans are pretenders, ‘pushing racist agendas,’ WNBA legend Sue Bird says

Former WNBA celebrity Sue Fowl criticized a portion of the brand new fan base Caitlin Clark has delivered to the league this 12 months, throughout an episode of her podcast “A Contact Extra with Sue Fowl & Megan Rapinoe” on Wednesday. 

Fowl went as far as to counsel that a lot of people that at the moment are following the WNBA and the Indiana Fever due to Clark shouldn’t even be thought of followers of the staff and even Clark herself due to the agenda that she claims they’re pushing. 

“It isn’t the Fever followers, it isn’t Caitlin followers, that could be a giant group of individuals… we’re speaking concerning the faction of that group that’s pushing racist agendas, and is pushing hate and creating divisiveness on-line performing as followers, performing as Fever followers, performing as Caitlin followers. Now whether or not or not they like basketball, I do not know. However that is the group of individuals we’re speaking about. Not all Fever followers, not all new followers, simply those which can be on the market pushing this s—,” Fowl stated. 

Clark herself spoke out in opposition to sure segments of the WNBA fanbase after the Fever’s season led to a first-round playoff sweep to the Connecticut Solar final week throughout the Fever’s exit interview on Thursday.

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Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts throughout the first half in opposition to the Connecticut Solar throughout sport two of the primary spherical of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Solar Enviornment. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Photographs)

“These aren’t followers. These are trolls,” Clark stated. “No one in our league needs to be dealing with any type of racism, disrespectful or hurtful feedback and threats.”

Clark’s feedback got here when she was requested a few assertion the WNBA put out condemning racism by followers shortly Solar participant Alyssa Thomas accused Fever followers of racism following the top of Connecticut’s Sport 2 win.

“Actually, it has been a variety of nonsense. I believe in my 11-year profession, I’ve by no means skilled racial feedback [like I have] from the Indiana Fever fan base. It is unacceptable, truthfully. There isn’t any place for it,” Thomas stated within the postgame press convention. 

Fowl pointed particularly to the narrative that Clark has been deliberately focused by WNBA gamers as a product of those non-fans, and she or he believes that narrative has been the largest driver of the problem of racism that Clark and the league felt the necessity to tackle lately. 

A lot of Clark’s followers have expressed outrage in her rookie 12 months over cases during which she was bodily dealt with by opposing gamers. In Sport 1 of the Fever-Sky playoff sequence, Solar participant DiJonai Carrington gave Clark a black eye when she caught her fingernail within the rookie’s eye within the first quarter. 

Clark took an unlawful hip verify from Chicago Sky ahead Chennedy Carter on June 1 when the Sky participant charged proper into the Fever rookie and knocked her down throughout a stoppage in play. Clark stated after the sport that Carter’s hit “was not a basketball play.”

CAITLIN CLARK ADDRESSES ALLEGED RACISM BY FANS FOLLOWING WNBA STATEMENT: ‘THOSE AREN’T FANS. THOSE ARE TROLLS’

Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky runs into and is charged with a flagrant foul in opposition to Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Enviornment on August 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.   (Michael Hickey/Getty Photographs)

Sky rookie and Clark’s longtime rival, Angel Reese, slammed her arm onto Clark’s head whereas attempting to dam a layup in a sport between the 2 groups on June 16. Then in August, Sky participant Diamond DeShields despatched Clark flying after which sliding throughout the hardwood on a play that was later upgraded to a flagrant-1 foul.

Fowl stated the concept that gamers are deliberately concentrating on Clark is “essentially the most insulting factor” to suppose or say concerning the gamers, and that these beliefs at the moment are manifesting within the mainstream. 

“Lots of people have been working underneath the idea that these narratives, explicit the concentrating on narrative, is true, and that has triggered, I would say, virtually all the problems that we’re seeing. And it is so removed from the reality, and that is why it has been so unhappy,” Fowl stated. 

Nevertheless, Clark herself has been on the receiving finish of racially-charged feedback this season too, not simply from pesky followers however from main figures within the media.

ESPN’s Pat McAfee referred to Clark as a “white b—-” throughout an episode of his nationally televised present June 3 and later apologized. McAfee used the time period throughout a dialogue about how a lot reputation Clark was bringing to the league in comparison with different gamers, saying, “I would really like the media those who proceed to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, simply name it for what it’s. There’s one White b—- for the Indiana staff who’s a celebrity.” McAfee later apologized.

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Caitlin Clark reacts throughout the second half in opposition to the Connecticut Solar throughout sport two of the primary spherical of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Solar Enviornment. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Photographs)

In Might, “The View” host Sunny Hostins stated throughout an episode of that present that Clark’s reputation was due, partially, to “white privilege.” 

Carrington known as out Clark in a put up on X in June, criticizing the rookie for not doing extra to name out racism amongst her personal followers in an X put up in June. 

“Dawg. How one cannot be bothered by their identify getting used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of all of them is nuts,” Carrington wrote. “All of us see the [s—]. All of us have a platform. All of us have a voice & all of them maintain weight. Silence is a luxurious.”

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