- Hill criticized the media for doing an overall “terrible job” of covering women’s sports.
- Clark’s Iowa will face Paige Bueckers’ UConn in the Final Four on Friday
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
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Former ESPN writer and co-host Jemele Hill questioned the hype surrounding Caitlin in women’s college basketball, as she accused the media of not covering Black players as much as the Iowa star.
while talking to uproxx.com Speaking about Clark’s rise to fame last week, Hill said the Lady Hawkeyes star is only benefiting from a sudden increase in attention despite acknowledging that the 22-year-old point guard “stokes general curiosity.” .
‘Everything related to this sport has been in fashion for years. It didn’t just start with Caitlin Clark, but they’re treating it like she did,’ Hill, who is now a contributing writer for The Atlantic, told the outlet. “And because of that, a false narrative is already being created that does a disservice to the public.”
Hill then criticized the media for doing a “terrible job” of covering women’s sports, and said that when they do, it tends to “overload only in one direction,” referring to the coverage that white players like Clark or the star of the University of Connecticut, Paige. The Bueckers receive comparisons to former South Carolina star and current Aces forward A’ja Wilson.
“(Wilson) is probably the best player in the world right now,” Hill said. ‘And I’m not trying to act like I don’t have coverage, but the coverage that non-white women, or specifically black women, sometimes get, is not even close. It’s two to one.
Former ESPN writer and co-host Jemele Hill isn’t just about the hype the media is giving to Caitlin Clark.
Hill referred to UConn star Paige Bueckers as another white basketball player who gets more coverage than her black counterparts.
‘I mean, Aliyah Boston was the best player in college just a couple of years ago. And she didn’t get even a tenth of the media coverage that Caitlin Clark did. Now, some people would say, “Oh, it’s her game.” But I don’t think it was that. She’s tremendous on television and I think, ‘what a missed opportunity for national media to really elevate who she was as a person.’
“Caitlin Clark seems to have a great personality, but it’s not like Caitlin Clark goes around saying crazy things. They just cover her excellence and that’s enough. While it seems like black athletes get the same amount of coverage or even fair coverage, she has ‘There has to be something extra (beyond basketball).’
Hill praised Clark for her mentality and overall play, as she believes the NCAA women’s record holder for total points will adapt to the WNBA without any problems and also help the league grow.
Clark’s double-double performance (41 points and 12 assists) in Iowa’s Elite Eight victory over LSU, the reigning national champions, set a basketball viewership record of 12.3 million average viewers and received the highest amount ever obtained for a women’s sporting event.
Hill said A’ja Wilson is less covered than Clark despite being the best WNBA player out there.
Stephen Curry has been named by Hill as the male player Clark draws inspiration from
Clark and his Iowa teammates will now face Bueckers and UConn on Friday in the Final Four, and the winner of that game will face either undefeated South Carolina or NC State in Sunday’s national championship game.
“To me, Caitlin Clark was always Steph Curry. It was always him,” Hill said while comparing both players. “And even if you consider LeBron (James) the best player of this generation, which would be accurate, the biggest effect on basketball at all levels was Steph Curry.
“I feel like Caitlin Clark is going to continue that because even the reasons she plays, the way she plays, is because of Steph Curry.
“I can only imagine how many girls and young athletes try to copy everything she does, and I think that’s a great thing for the sport.”