WNBA proprietor Sheila Johnson made some feedback about Caitlin Clark throughout a current interview.
Johnson, who owns the Washington Mystics, was interviewed by CNN. In her interview, Johnson was vital of TIME journal for naming Clark the “Athlete of the Yr.”
In Johnson’s eyes, all the WNBA deserves widespread recognition, not simply Clark. Johnson needs the league as a complete had been acknowledged as an alternative of Clark individually.
“I wish to be very diplomatic about this. It’s simply the construction of the best way the media performs out race, if I’m being very sincere. I really feel actually dangerous, as a result of I’ve seen so many gamers of coloration which can be equally as gifted, they usually by no means get the popularity that they need to have. And I feel proper now it’s time for that to occur,” Johnson stated.
“So final evening, you learn TIME Journal, and Caitlin Clark was named ‘Athlete of the Yr.’ Why couldn’t they’ve put the entire WNBA on the duvet and say ‘the WNBA is the league of the 12 months,’ due to all of the expertise that we’ve? As a result of while you simply maintain singling out one participant, it creates arduous emotions, and so now you’re beginning to hear tales of racism inside the WNBA, and I don’t wish to hear that. We’ve got acquired to function and grow to be stronger as a league and respect all people that’s enjoying and their skills.
“It has taken the WNBA virtually 28 years to get to the purpose the place we at the moment are. And this 12 months, one thing clicked with the WNBA and it’s due to the draft that the gamers that got here in. It’s simply not Caitlin Clark, it’s Reese, there’s a lot expertise on the market that has been unrecognized. And I don’t assume we will pin it on only one participant.”
Clark is the rationale issues “clicked” this 12 months. Clark is driving the recognition. She’s the participant who sells out video games whether or not it’s at residence or on the highway. The Mystics ought to know higher than anybody simply how a lot of a draw Clark is. The crew had 20 residence video games and hosted the Fever twice. Regardless of solely making up 10 p.c of their residence video games, video games towards the Fever produced 31 p.c of the Mystics’ residence attendance. That’s the Clark Impact.
