Caitlin Clark is a ‘little white girl’ dominating a Black sport, controversial host says

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP

Controversial host Jason Whitlock has a theory on why fans are infatuated with Caitlin Clark, the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader who has captivated the sports world and recently became the No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever. And it has little to do with her skills on the court or her personality.

It has to do with race.

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“It’s a Black sport and this little white girl is dominating,” Whitlock said on his “Fearless” show posted Tuesday. “It’s like the underdog or something unexpected. The same reason a lot of us fell in love with Tiger Woods in golf. We hadn’t seen anybody that looked like him dominate golf. We haven’t seen anyone who looks like her dominate basketball to the degree that she was.”

The attention on Clark would indicate she means more to the sport and fans than her skin color. She’s a woman who has pierced the male-dominated sports space to draw more attention to women’s sports — a positive development. Whitlock-type takes come with the territory.

Clark’s sexual orientation and religion also help, according to Whitlock.

“So, Caitlin Clark, best I know, she’s heterosexual, has some boyfriend,” Whitlock said. “She went to a Catholic school. Comes across like she believes in Jesus Chris.”

It remains to be seen how Clark’s interest will translate in the WNBA, though early returns are promising. Not only did Iowa’s NCAA Tournament tickets sell out in 30 minutes, Fever ticket prices have soared on the secondary markets, home and away. The WNBA will televise 36 of 40 Fever games, too, starting on May 14. Clark’s No. 22 Fever jersey became the top-seller for any draft pick ever, according to Fanatics. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported Clark will become the third WNBA player to have a shoe deal with a major plan, according to Oppenheimer retain analyst Brian Nagel in a CNN story.

Whitlock closed his Clark rant with a criticism of Staley.

“I gotta give Dawn Staley credit, and I did,” Whitlock said. “She starts talking about Jesus, my ears and eyes perk up and I got, ‘Oh, maybe we have that in common. But when you’re tossing in transgenderism, I’m like, ‘What God is Dawn Staley talking about and her little open hostility toward white people? … We should be choosing alliances based on value, not on skin color.”