(Outkick)—The most frequently asked question I’ve received over the past two weeks is about the conversation surrounding WNBA star Caitlin Clark. People questioned why we cover her so often, why the interest is so high, and why some WNBA player is now a topic on cable news.
The answer, put simply, is that the story is bigger than the WNBA, basketball, and sports. What’s happening to Caitlin Clark is emblematic of how we discuss and treat racism in America.
Clark is a generational talent whose stardom is transcendent. According to recent estimates, she could raise the value of the WNBA by more than $1 billion. She is also a straight white woman in a league in which black and LGBTQ culture are at the core of the ethos.
Unlike other straight white women in the league, Clark did not initially speak the code or atone for her whiteness. She wanted to, to use a popular phrase, stick to sports.
Players and commentators resent her for that. They’ve tried to cope with her stardom by dismissing it as a product of systemic racism or great white hope-ism.
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