USA Today is now analogizing her playing style to the lynching of Emmett Till in 1941.Even the rare discussions about her on-court performance are increasingly driven by culture-war motivations, including dishonest claims that she isn't even a top-10 guard in the league.At this point, there's reason to wonder when and if the WNBA can move past the nastiness and racial hysteria that have defined the past few seasons.To address the problem, those involved must first acknowledge the problem.
And while no one side deserves all the blame, the drama tends to follow a similar pattern.It goes like this:Rinse and repeat.Caitlin Clark No.22 of the Indiana Fever reacts after a flagrant foul by Diamond DeShields No.
0 of the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug.30, 2024.
(Getty Images)MONICA MCNUTT IS TRYING TO BECOME THE FEMALE RYAN CLARK WITH LATEST CAITLIN CLARK SMEARThe cycle played out over the last week.After USA Today likened Clark's on-court "flopping" to the lynching of Black people and then published a false story about why she missed an All-Star event, ESPN analyst Monica McNutt accused Clark of lacking "accountability" and "self-awareness."According to McNutt's logic, it's somehow Clark's fault that players keep driving fists into her throat and posting ugly messages about her on social media.It's probably also Clark's fault that Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington is spiraling on X, accusing her ex-girlfriend of cheating on her with multiple women around the WNBA.Of course, McNutt and those who share her worldview don't believe they're the problem.
They continue to blame White people for using Clark as an avatar to hate Black lesbian women.Last year, McNutt even suggested that young White girls rooted for Clark because of racial bias.There is nothing Clark can do to defuse the animosity.
She publicly pretended to acknowledge her "white privilege" at the end of her rookie season and even spent time with former President Barack Obama during Al...