Pat McAfee bizarrely called Caitlin Clark a ‘white bitch’ live on national television Monday while offering a bizarre defense of the Indiana Fever star.
Clark, the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick, has dominated the headlines in recent days after taking a brutal foul from the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter.
The star of Indiana Fever He was tackled by Carter late in the third quarter of their victory. on Saturday and has sparked debate over the treatment of Clark since he turned pro.
Clark has consistently been the target of rough treatment from opponents during her rookie season amid accusations of jealousy from other players over her explosive impact on women’s basketball.
McAfee, who was at the Fever-Sky game and watched the incident unfold, passionately defended Clark on Monday and said she alone had been the driving force behind the WNBA’s rise in popularity.
Pat McAfee bizarrely called Caitlin Clark a ‘white bitch’ while live on national television on Monday.
Clark has dominated the headlines after taking a brutal foul from Chennedy Carter on Saturday.
McAfee noted how other rookies, such as Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, had also boosted the sport’s profile, but said their impact is small compared to Clark’s.
He also mentioned a series of statistics comparing the three rookies to illustrate that Clark is in a league of his own.
But while he was doing it, he called her a ‘white bitch’, which seemed completely unnecessary.
Speaking on his ESPN show, McAfee said: “I wish the media people would keep saying ‘this class of rookies, this class of rookies, this class of rookies’ – no, just call it what it is.”
‘There’s a white bitch on the Indiana team who is a superstar and is it because she stayed in Iowa, put an entire state on her back and took a program from nothing to a multi-year success story?’
‘Is it because it would break every scoring record in NCAA history, not just Kelsey Plum’s women’s record, but also Pete Maravich’s?
‘Is there a chance that people will just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she did what she set out to do, maybe?’
“But instead, we have to listen to people say that we only like her because she’s white and that she’s only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they’re doing.
“Well, that’s a bunch of nonsense and we think the WNBA, and more specifically its referees, need to stop trying to screw it up at every turn.”
Clark was inexplicably knocked to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter.
‘What you have is someone special and we are lucky he is here in Indiana.
‘Once again, I respect the way Chennedy Carter goes about his business. I was on the ground; They were telling her to relax after that while they checked him out.
‘Turns out it was flagrant, even though WNBA referees are looking for Caitlin to respond in this situation. The refs were probably looking at Caitlin and waiting for her to give them a dirty look so they could give her the tee.
‘It hasn’t just been the players. “It hasn’t just been the players who have said ‘not in our league’, it’s also clearly the referees and I think if you listen to the media talk about that, it’s the same thing.”
However, McAfee’s comments were not well received by fans on social media.
One wrote: ‘Why does a woman have to be a bitch???? As much as you “support” her, you couldn’t think of anything else to say? Your whole point was invalid and then you proceeded to call her by her name…ewwww’.
Another commented: ‘So it’s okay if people call your daughter a white bitch? Here’s twenty-five cents. Go buy some classes.
“Calling any woman a bitch is crazy… especially when it comes to giving a compliment,” another posted.
One user wrote: ‘I have NEVER liked Pat McAfee… ever!’ And today serves as a HUGE reminder of why! For him to call Caitlin Clark the way she did, and say it with ALL of her chest, on national television is beyond unacceptable. It’s better that ESPN disciplines him. And let’s not forget that NO ONE reviewed it. Disgusting’.
Previously on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith offered his opinion alongside WNBA expert Monica McNutt, Shannon Sharpe and host Molly Qerim.
Smith believes there are WNBA players who are jealous of the attention Clark has been receiving, even before she entered the league, and the host says race may be part of that.
‘There are girls – ladies – in the WNBA who are jealous of Caitlin Clark. “She’s a white girl who’s come into the league,” Smith said.
“She’s burst onto the scene. She hasn’t proven herself yet. It’s not even a matter of them thinking they’re better than her because they probably know it at this particular moment because they’ve been playing at a level that she’s just gotten to.
“Where the resentment comes in is the hard work, the commitment, the dedication, the pounding the pavement, being in the grind all these years trying to elevate this brand that is the WNBA and women’s professional basketball.
Stephen A. Smith thinks WNBA players are jealous of Caitlin Clark
‘All their efforts were in vain until this girl came along and took the league by storm, took shape in the sport at university and achieved in a short period of time what they had not been able to.
“You would think people would be smart enough to recognize and appreciate that about Caitlin Clark, use that to their advantage, and praise and support her for it while competing on the court against her.”
Smith also contextualized the hip check Carter gave Clark, saying the Indiana star elbowed him that may have caused Carter to retaliate.
“You do that to a person who is now the face of the WNBA, you know there’s something extra in that,” she continued.
“Now, to be fair to her, I’ve seen a report that showed Caitlin Clark elbowing him first and it was retaliation. I understand that part.
‘Let’s also remember that before pushing her, he controlled her with his hips from behind, from behind, he called her the B word… We understand all that. That’s in the heat of competition. We’re not going to exaggerate that.
“What we’re going to do is give her the level of recognition that she deserves in terms of the potential venom and hostility that exists toward this ‘golden girl,’ who happens to be white, and how the WNBA is promoting her.”