FOX Sports analyst Nick Wright insisted that racists used Caitlin Clark’s popularity to spread hate toward black WNBA players.
During the 2024 WNBA season, the No. 1 overall pick raised the league’s attendance and viewership numbers to new heights following her collegiate career at the University of Iowa.
However, Clark’s Rookie of the Year campaign, which ended with the Connecticut Sun sweeping the Fever, was marred by racial conflict as his contemporaries repeatedly pointed out disparaging comments from his fan base. The tension began when he faced off against rival and fellow rookie Angel Reese and continued into the postseason.
“You have a lot of new fans because Caitlin Clark is box office,” the FS1 host said on his What is Wright? program. “But unfortunately, inevitably, and the league should have seen this train coming down the tracks, there were people on that train who weren’t basketball fans, who weren’t even real Caitlin Clark fans.”
“They were fans of what they thought Caitlin Clark could represent, which was the humiliation of black women. And we have this cavalcade of open and blatant racists who tried to put up a hood of the Caitlin Clark fandom on social media and last night in person, “They did everything they could to terrorize their opposition,” Wright added.
Nick Wright suggested racists posed as Caitlin Clark fans to spread hate.
Clark fans have continually been called out for making racist comments to other players.
Following the Fever’s elimination, Connecticut star Alyssa Thomas was enraged by the racial abuse her team received from Indiana fans throughout the series. Fans pointed to Dijonai Carrington’s eyelashes, while another had a t-shirt that said “ban nails” with large fake nails sticking out of each finger.
“It’s been a lot of nonsense, I don’t think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas said.
‘We had (Carrington’s) face about a serious matter that happened in this world and it’s unacceptable, honestly. And there is no place for that and we have been professional throughout the process, but they have never called me what they have called me on social media.
‘And there’s no place or that. Basketball is going in a great direction, but we don’t want fans who degrade us and call us racial slurs. We already see what is happening in the world and what we have to face in that regard.’
Alyssa Thomas spoke out about ‘unacceptable’ racist abuse from Indiana Fever fans
Fans accused the WNBA of ignoring racial abuse until Clark and the Fever’s exit from the playoffs.
In September, Reese spoke out about the threats he receives from Iowa and Indiana fans.
“I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to that and I don’t think she stands firm on any of that,” Reese said on the Unapologetically Angel podcast.
“But when it comes to death threats,” he continued. “People have come to my address, they follow me home, it all comes down to that.”
Reese then added how fans made AI-generated nude photos of her and sent them to her family members.
“It sucks to see that,” Reese continued. ‘And it’s very difficult to have to go through that. And now I see that other players are also having to go through that.”
Reese (right) previously said she had been the target of racist abuse from Clark fans.
Earlier this week, the WNBA released a statement addressing racial abuse toward female players. However, fans criticized the league for waiting until Clark and Fever were eliminated before speaking out on the issue.
‘The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. “While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory or threatening comments about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league,” the statement read.
“League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate action, including law enforcement involvement, as necessary.”