Because Cari Champion does.Did you know that the fans who latched onto her are just middle Americans "who want to see White women do well in a sport that's traditionally Black"?Caitlin Clark continues to take heat from media members despite drawing millions of new fans to the WNBA.(Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.
DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!Champion's all over that, too.The former ESPN anchor would also like you to know that Clark hasn't done enough to give Black players their respect, and that the WNBA is coddling Caitlin and her "MAGA" fans to the detriment of the league.She shared these insights in separate podcasts with Jemele Hill and Bakari Sellers.It was all very enlightening.And by enlightening I mean ridiculous.No doubt that Clark — the most popular women's basketball player ever — has displayed traits that warrant criticism.
She can be petulant.She can be hostile toward refs.
And she's about to lead the league in turnovers for the third consecutive season.But the racial narratives the media manufactures with her are as absurd as the maligning of her fan base.Who's really the hateful one here?Let's start with Champion's notion that Clark's fans are essentially country bumpkins looking for a white face to cheer for.
This makes no sense.Sue Bird, Dianna Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kelsey Plum were all No.
1 overall picks who won the Wooden Award in their final year of college.All White — but none were selling out arenas.Cari Champion speaks on the "Naked Sports" panel during the 2025 Black Effect Podcast Festival.
(Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network)ELLE DUNCAN BLAMES CAITLIN CLARK, HER FANS FOR MEDIA SMEAR CAMPAIGN WHILE IGNORING FACTSThat's because they weren't pulling up from 28 feet ten times a game en route to setting the all-time NCAA scoring record while leading the country in assists for three straight years.Clark ...