In keeping with the rough baptism Caitlin Clark has received into the WNBA, Fox News host Sean Hannity threw an elbow at ESPN host Pat McAfee over comments McAfee made about Clark on a recent show.
In pushing back against claims that Clark was somehow popular because she was white, McAfee used the work “b****” to describe Clark, which sparked immediate backlash.
Despite McAfee’s apology later that day, Hannity did not let it go, comparing commentary from ESPN host Stephen A. Smith with that of McAfee.
Hannity noted, Smith was right for “suggesting the players could be jealous of Clark’s popularity,” according to a clip posted to YouTube.
“He’s a thousand percent correct,” Hannity said.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some readers may find offensive.
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“And meanwhile, they’re missing the best opportunity of all time because if she does well and brings a lot of people to watch the WNBA, well, as Stephen A. said, a rising tide will lift all boats.”
“Meanwhile, Pat McAfee, well, he’s facing a backlash, rightly, today, for using a descriptor that he used to defend Caitlin Clark,” he said.
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“Anyway, McAfee has since apologized for his comments on today’s show. He’s still a jacka**, and a buffoon, and a horrible host. McAfee’s biggest problem — I’ll tell you what it is — his ego can not handle living in the shadows of the far more popular, way more talented Stephen A. Smith,” Hannity said.
Clark made no public comment about the fuss about her, but McAfee said on Tuesday that he received a response to his apology, according to the New York Post.
“I did reach out to Caitlin Clark through the Fever (public relations), sent an apology and then got a message back that she said it was all good. No blood. We move forward,” he said.
The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner pushed back against those saying Clark should get special treatment.
“Consider what that argument implies. That Clark has elevated the league so much that competitors, paid professionals, should send Clark thank-you notes before every tip-off, then spend the rest of the game ushering her to the paint for open layups,” she wrote.
The racism Caitlin Clark is dealing with is unacceptable and has no place in sports. pic.twitter.com/vfdiIOcKcC
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) June 1, 2024
“How many other athletes, in the history of mankind, have ever been criticized for competing too hard?” she wrote.
“Clark doesn’t need to be coddled, especially when her army of supporters are the ones throwing a tantrum,” she wrote.
But Billie Jean King said the WNBA’s reputation and future are in fact on the line, according to USA Today.
“As great as the WNBA has been, with amazing stars like Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, among others, this year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin,” she said. “Breaking the college records, everyone wearing the No. 22 jerseys. Things are going good for the WNBA, for women’s sports. They are amazing for everyone with all these sellouts and all this interest, and we’ve got to keep that going now.
“Whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason for so much of this interest. She’s a superstar. When she does well, everyone does better. The league is going to do better. The veterans were the building blocks, and now Caitlin and this rookie class have this incredible platform to take the league to an entirely new place,” she said.
“This generation is so important for the WNBA, you have to set an example. Children are watching. How do you want to be remembered? This generation has a chance to set this league on fire. Don’t blow it with animosity. Do not blow it. Just play ball. Play hard, but no cheap shots,” she said.
Clark has said she has better things to do than read what pundits are saying about her.
“To be honest, I’m not really on social media. I don’t read that,” she said last month, according to Fox News.
“This is my job. My job is to compete and play basketball every single day. I think the more attention we can get on every team around this league, that’s only going to help me get better and better,” she said.
