This year provided an exciting season for WNBA fans. A big factor in the league’s crossover success was the popularity of rookie Caitlin Clark. However, for longtime fans of the sport, it was a double-edged sword, as her presence brought more eyeballs to the product, but not all those eyeballs were respectful toward the game, or its players.
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Clark’s breakout year is ending with her being named TIME’s Athlete of the Year. In an interview with the outlet, she’s finally addressing the racial issues that surround her success in the WNBA, even admitting that she experiences “privilege.”
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark said. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.”
Despite Clark’s acknowledgement of her “privilege,” there are still plenty of fans who took issue with her being named the Athlete of the Year when gymnast Simone Biles had a banner 2024. As usual, social media didn’t mince words while expressing themselves.
One user referenced the big difference in their professional accomplishments, writing on X, “By winning nothing? White Privilege at its height. Simones Biles broke Olympic records but @Time named a woman who won nothing as Athlete of the Year.”
Someone pointed out how spectacular Black women were in Paris this summer, writing on Bluesky, “Caitlin Clark is amazing, but come on. You also watched the Olympics & saw Simone Biles & Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.”
Another person noted Clark’s lack of championships, posting, “Bullshit. Simone Biles, Patrick Mahomes and Shohei Ohtani were better than her. Did Caitlin win gold medals or championships? No. Whiteness at work.”
“Time not giving athlete of the year to Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky is a choice. Flowers to Caitlin Clark but she’ll have this opportunity in other years while these women likely won’t,” wrote one fan who recognized the limitations of Olympic athletes.
Another user laid out why there’s no comparison between the two athletes, writing, “And that’s not to take anything away from the talent that is Caitlin Clark. But if we’re talking about people who have SINGLE HANDEDLY changed the sport for the better? She’s not in the same conversations as Simone Biles.”
There’s no denying that there was a white savior narrative that definitely permeated the WNBA’s 2024 season, and women’s sports as a whole, a situation that annoyed longtime fans. There has to be room to acknowledge Clark’s influence while also making sure all the other amazing female athletes get their well-deserved flowers.
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