Right-Wing Sports Media Myths About Caitlin Clark Got Busted In 2025

In partnership with

There is no disputing that Caitlin Clark brought a lot of new eyes to the WNBA and women’s basketball in general over the last few years. Unfortunately, there’s also no disputing that at least some of those eyes are attached to right-wing scumbags who see her ascent as nothing more than another thing to be racist about. If you think that isn’t true, you’re probably one of them.

Only one player in recent memory has been repeatedly asked to address the racists in their fanbase, and that’s Caitlin Clark. People aren’t just making this stuff up, even if the accused want you to think that is exactly what’s happening. Any suggestion of racism on the part of Caitlin Clark fans is met with demands for the type of evidence you are literally never going to get in a situation like this.

When Alyssa Thomas (then) of the Connecticut Sun called out Fever fans for saying wild shit to her on the court and on social media both, Outkick writer David Hookstead got super defensive about it.

“What exactly has been said? Who exactly said it? How does Thomas know it's fans of Clark and the Fever and not random internet trolls looking to sow chaos and division?”

Oh, they are “internet trolls looking to sow chaos and division” for sure, and they have the full support and backing of the internet trolls looking to sow chaos and division who write for Outkick. None of these people, including the “sportswriters” in question, are actual fans of women’s basketball. Right-wingers aren’t fans of women’s anything except maybe subservience.

That said, at least Hookstead is leaving the door open to the possibility that something inappropriate may have been said. That’s more credit than I can give to Dave Portnoy, the head fuckface in charge at Barstool Sports.

When more reports of audience nastiness emerged after a game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky earlier this year, Portnoy immediately called the claims a lie. On what grounds, you ask? Because he was at the game! So, of course, if anyone said anything racist or inappropriate, he surely would have heard it!

Anyone who has been to any major indoor sporting event ever understands that this is an absolutely absurd thing to say. I have Los Angeles Sparks season tickets and me and whoever I bring to whatever game with me have to literally shout at each other to hear what the other is saying. The idea that racist comments didn’t happen inside a packed basketball arena solely because Dave Portnoy didn’t hear them is clown shit.

I was at the Sparks game where this happened …

… and I totally missed it. Being at a game in no way shape or form means you heard, saw, and experienced every single thing happening inside that arena that night.

Also, check out this video of Indiana Fever fans describing Chicago Sky star Angel Reese in one word and count the number of times you hear “bitch” or “ghetto” in the span of 15 seconds. Am I supposed to assume they tone that down when there isn’t a camera in their faces? Highly doubtful.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark taking a few hard fouls early in her rookie season was all the evidence right-wing sports media needed to decide that the WNBA hates her because she’s heterosexual and white and that she must be protected.

Somehow, the most reputable outlet I will name in this entire article also provided the most ridiculous suggestion regarding Caitlin Clark yet. Wall Street Journal writer Sean McLean argued that, if the league will do nothing to “protect” her, then Congress should step in and launch an investigation into whether Clark’s civil rights have been violated. Yes, seriously.

It’s in arguments like that where the absolute lack of knowledge about women’s sports outside of “Caitlin is good” becomes most obvious.

Take this Outkick article from writer Bobby Burack, for example. It’s the rare anti-Caitlin Clark piece the outlet has published. They were mad because she committed the cardinal sin of acknowledging that white privilege exists. It also includes a line that unintentionally destroys the “players hate Caitlin Clark because she’s white and straight and gets all the attention” argument. Here goes:

“Clark entered the WNBA last season as its first mainstream attraction in nearly two generations.”

Wrong. Every right-winger argument about the animosity the league allegedly holds for Caitlin Clark because of her sexuality and skin color completely ignores the fact that the league’s rise in popularity started half a decade ago with another straight, white player.

I’m talking about Sabrina Ionescu. Her popularity and ability is robust enough that she actually competed against Steph Curry in a three point shooting contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2024.

That is a huge deal and she is too. If the WNBA is filled to the brim with racists and heterophobes who resent white players for being white and popular, why wouldn’t Sabrina Ionescu have gotten the same treatment?

The 2020 WNBA Draft was one of the most watched ever, and it’s because of her. That’s where the league’s popularity started to skyrocket. It was a combination of Sabrina Ionescu entering the WNBA and the 2020 season being played in a covid bubble where every game was televised nationally. Throw in the attention garnered by the Atlanta Dream forcing their owner to sell the team and subsequently doing the most to get Raphael Warnock elected in Georgia, and the WNBA was off and running in terms of viewership and attendance both. The numbers have been going up ever since.

Nevertheless, any suggestion that people ever did or ever will tune into the WNBA for any reason other than to watch Caitlin Clark sends the MAGA sports crowd into an absolute tailspin (those are four separate links, by the way).

It seems like the only thing that makes them angrier is suggesting that the Indiana Fever might still be a good team without their best white player. Absent Caitlin Clark, everything else shall crumble!

Except the 2025 season proved both of those assumptions are incorrect.

In 2025, Caitlin Clark was sidelined with injuries for all but 13 games. When she did play, she at one point went through the worst shooting slump in WNBA history. She was, for all intents and purposes, a non-factor for most of the season. Despite that, attendance and viewership both went up in 2025.

There’s a little bit of an asterisk next to that attendance record on account of how the league added a 13th team in 2025, the Golden State Valkyries, who promptly sold out every home game of the season. But all that really means is that attendance went up in a way that had nothing to do with Caitlin Clark. Bay Area fans didn’t buy all of those tickets hoping she was gonna show up at every game.

As for the Fever being a better team without Caitlin Clark? Well, facts don’t care about your feelings.

A mostly injury-free Caitlin Clark led the Indiana Fever to the playoffs in 2024, where they were promptly bounced in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.

Meanwhile, a mostly Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever won their first round playoff matchup in 2025, destroyed the heavily favored Las Vegas Aces on the road in the first game of the semifinals, and are currently two wins away from making the WNBA Finals as I write this. The Indiana Fever were objectively better in 2025, and they got there with a lot less help from Caitlin Clark compared to last season.

Don’t take any of that to mean I’m implying that Caitlin Clark isn’t a generational talent or that her popularity hasn’t improved conditions for the rest of the league. I am a huge Caitlin Clark fan, to the point that at least some of my financial future is staked on her rookie cards exponentially increasing in value over the next decade or so. I was genuinely bummed when she wasn’t able to play in either of the games against the Sparks at Crypto.com Arena this season and I very much hope I do get to see her play in person in 2026.

I think Caitlin Clark is truly great. It’s the racists who glom onto her to score culture war points who suck.

To hear Adam talk about the WNBA even more, check out the WNBYAY! podcast in the You Don’t Even Like Sports feed wherever podcasts are at!

Buying Cannabis Online Is Now Legal, And Incredibly Convenient

For years, buying cannabis meant taking a trip to a dispensary, dealing with long lines, limited selection, and inconsistent pricing. But thanks to changing laws and innovative online retailers, buying high-quality THC products is now 100% federally legal—and more convenient than ever.

And when it comes to quality and reliability, Mood is leading the way…

Because they’ve completely flipped the script on cannabis shopping. Instead of memorizing hundreds of confusing strain names – like “Gorilla Glue” and "Purple Monkey Breath" – you simply choose how you want to feel: Creative, Social, Focused, Relaxed, Happy, Aroused, and more.

Each gummy is formulated with the perfect blend of Delta-9 THC and botanicals to deliver the perfect mood.

Want a great night’s sleep? Try the Sleepytime gummies. Need laser focus Mind Magic gummies have you covered. Hotter sex? Try the Sexual Euphoria gummies.

It's cannabis shopping that actually makes sense for “normal” people.

20% OFF your first order!