As an Asian person, I will just never understand “white guilt” and however it manifests for liberals.
Something you have no control over, something you may have no literal connection to (I seriously doubt a first generation, white German immigrant in 2024, for example, will have much connection to American slavery), and something deigned to make you feel lesser than your true potential is somehow encouraged in this upside-down world?
The latest example of this mind disease comes from controversial sports commentator Skip Bayless.
The former ESPN and FS1 commentator (Bayless is one of the forefathers of the obnoxious “hot take” debate format so many of these modern sports shows take) bizarrely injected race and politics into an otherwise benign discussion about star Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
Bayless — not exactly a stranger to controversy — lauded the precocious WNBA star on the Thursday edition of his self-named podcast, but not without interjecting some of that absurd “guilt.”
In an episode entitled “Skip’s View of Caitlin Clark Shaped by Being Raised by A Black Woman,” Bayless spoke a bit about how his upbringing shaped his views on white basketball players like Clark and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
“So here came this white girl from Iowa,” Bayless said. “And I started watching the WNBA much more closely than I ever had [before].”
Bayless wouldn’t be the only one, and why should he be?
Is Caitlin Clark good for the WNBA?
Yes: 0% (0 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
Clark — while far from the sole reason — is a big reason why the WNBA is enjoying record numbers these days — thanks to her stellar, fun style of play and humble stardom. And what’s wrong with that?
Why can’t people just enjoy it for what it is? Why do people have to be like Skip Bayless and make this (and everything else) a race and political issue?
“I started to think, deep down in my psyche, ‘Wait a second. She’s really good,’” Bayless continued. “But I’ll be the first to admit, I felt guilty saying so on TV or on social media.
“I did not want to look like this red state white guy cheering on this red state white girl.
“Our country feels split enough racially already. I didn’t want to pour gasoline on that fire.”
(Oh, the irony.)
“Maybe I was wrong about this,” Bayless said (and he is), “but Caitlin Clark started to feel, to me, some sort of new right-wing symbol.”
Again … What?
This writer sincerely doubts that the families — and especially the little girls — who adore Clark and attend all of her games are unilaterally right-wing ideologues. That’s an absurd thought on its face.
But even if it were true: Why should that matter in the context of a sports commentator watching the WNBA?
Now, yes, Bayless is no stranger to culture war issues (he’s a bleeding heart liberal who full-throatedly supported Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protests, if you couldn’t tell), but this Clark stuff feels especially out of left field.
Clark has, perhaps better than any sports megastar of the last 10 years, avoided needlessly divisive political discourse (certain social media “likes” notwithstanding).
She is a far, far cry from noted far-leftist LeBron James — whom, ironically, Bayless publicly loathes.
You can watch the entire, demented monologue below, if you are masochistic enough:
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“White guilt” and needlessly injecting racial politics into sports belong in the same place: the ash heap of history.
This insane example from Skip Bayless proves exactly why.
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