Caitlin Clark's Brother Praised For Firing Back At WNBA Owner
12/16/2024 10:42 AM
Caitlin Clark's brother fired a not-so-subtle shot back at a WNBA owner over the weekend.
TIME Magazine named Clark its 2024 Athlete of the Year. It was a logical choice. Clark has brought millions of new eyeballs onto women's basketball. She's arguably the most important player in the history of the sport. And she's damn good, too. Clark averaged 19 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds per game as a rookie, getting MVP votes.
But not everyone in the WNBA is happy with the praise Clark is getting. Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson thinks that Clark is only a small reason for the increase in the WNBA's attendance and TV ratings. Johnson argued that the "entire league" should've been put on the TIME cover.
"It has taken the WNBA almost 28 years to get to the point where we are now," Johnson said on CNN. "And this year, something clicked with the WNBA and it's because of the draft and the players that came in. It's not just Caitlin Clark, it's (Angel) Reese. We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don't think we can pin it on just one player."
"It's just the structure of the way media plays out race. I feel really bad because I've seen so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never got the recognition that they should have and I think right now, it is time for that to happen."
Johnson added: "You read Time Magazine, where Caitlin Clark was named athlete of the year, why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said, 'The WNBA is the league of the year,' because of all the talent that we have."
Clark's younger brother, Colin, decided to fire back at Johnson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Colin shared a story that noted how the Washington Mystics' home games against Clark and the Fever accounted for close to 40 percent of their total attendance for the year.
A record 20,711 fans were in attendance for Fever-Mystics tonight—the largest crowd in WNBA history.pic.twitter.com/NszrT2gGMk
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 20, 2024
Fans are praising Colin Clark for his response.
"The WNBA and AEW had game changing people that brought eyeballs and money to their product. They both ran those people off. Yes I know Clark isn't gone yet. But don't be surprised if she leaves citing mental health," one fan wrote.
"It wasn't Angel Reese or any rookies other than Clark. If Clark had gone to play in Europe, the WNBA attendance would not have changed," one fan added.
"Clark and the Fever played visitor to the Mystics twice during the 2024 campaign, and those two games accounted for 31 percent of the team's home attendance for the season. One of those games even set a WNBA attendance record," one fan added.
Clark and the Indiana Fever, meanwhile, will look to make another stride toward title contention in 2025.
