The WNBA has not exactly been making headlines for the right reasons lately. It feels like there is always something happening away from the basketball court, whether it is a controversy or a heated exchange.
But as the attention slowly shifts back toward what is happening on the court, one analyst has turned his focus toward Caitlin Clark’s fanbase and the way it has handled the Indiana Fever star’s MVP buzz.
Jason Whitlock Fires Back at the Caitlin Clark Fanbase
On his show “Fearless with Jason Whitlock,” sports commentator Jason Whitlock argued that some Clark fans have created a narrative that puts the Fever guard above her own teammates.
According to Whitlock, they are trying to shut down the idea that Clark and Kelsey Mitchell can be seen as a legitimate duo while continuing to push the belief that Clark should remain the team’s clear star.
“Racial idolatry comes in every shade,” Whitlock said. “Caitlin Clark, Nike, Clark’s fan base, and those outside forces are pushing to break up Clark and Mitchell. The operating assumption is that women cannot play together. They must have their own individual spotlight. The Clark fan base is attempting to tear down Mitchell to build up Clark.”
“A lot of it is tied to identity politics and how the WNBA is a league that promotes identity politics. Conservative Clark fans are far more concerned with Clark destroying woke black women than with the Fever winning anything. That desire has pitted Clark against her own teammates,” Whitlock explained during his show.
Honestly, Whitlock might not be wrong. Last season was brutal for Clark as she played only in 13 games. Quad, groin, and leg injuries chipped away at her availability before the Fever eventually shut her down for the year, and she barely got on the floor.
This season is a different story. Clark looks like herself again. She is healthy and playing at an MVP level as she is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. For a fanbase that spent all of last year worried sick, this kind of form is exactly what they wanted to see.
But the thing is that her teammate Mitchell is having just as strong a season, if not better on the offensive end. She has been averaging 25 points a game, and has quietly become one of the most reliable scorers in the entire league.
Yet, outside of hardcore Fever circles, barely anyone is talking about her. Social media just isn’t giving her the same attention, even with the numbers she’s producing.
Whitlock also suggested that the overall Fever narrative has become centered around Clark being the elite player, with the rest of the league seemingly portrayed as players who are constantly targeting her.
“Mitchell is having the most efficient offensive season in WNBA history. But she must be denigrated to build up Clark. Efficiency is not a personality contest. It is production. It is the thing you are supposed to reward if winning still matters. Mitchell’s season is an inconvenience to the mythology.”
“Boston’s win shares are an inconvenience to the mythology. The team itself is an inconvenience because a team implies shared light. The brand needs a solitary heroine and a solitary heroine needs villains standing next to her. Teammates will do. The WNBA is proof of the adage that no one hates working with and promoting women more than other women,” he added.
There is no question that Clark is one of the biggest stars in women’s basketball. But that should not mean Mitchell’s performances are pushed into the background. The better storyline might actually be that Indiana has two guards capable of carrying the offense.
