Why They Hate Her

Micahel Jordan Was Right

During the 1990 North Carolina Senate race, the legendary Micahel Jordan refused to endorse the black democratic candidate Harvey Gantt. The snub was even more notable because Jesse Helmes, who had been accused of being a racist, was running against Gnatt. Jordan did not endorse Gnatt because “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Jordan had political opinions but maintained neutrality while playing in the NBA. His motives for neutrality were financial. The white Republican suburban family was a significant demographic buying his sneakers. Jordan did not use his “platform” to speak up against the social issues of his day. Instead, he stayed laser-focused on becoming the best basketball player in history. There is little time for activism as you win six NBA championships, six Finals MVPs, five MVP of the Year Awards, and the list goes on. 

But the times have changed. It is expected that a professional athlete use their position for the sake of activism and advocacy. When you watch the NBA, NFL, MLB, or the WNBA, you watch a game infused with activism. Sports is no longer neutral. You can not watch a game without being told what you must believe about the latest social issue. 

The changte is lamentable. There was a time when sports was mainly about entertainment. Now, you watch on TV or show up to the game, and you expect to be preached at. 

No Longer Hiding The Ball

The insertion of activism and advocacy within sports has been taking place for decades, but the coach finally called the full-court press in 2020. With BLM protests and rioting taking place across the streets of America, the death of George Floyd, government lockdowns, and COVID restrictions, America was a powder keg. The Wokesters rose up and demanded allegiance. In a matter of moments, significant institutions, including sports, bent the knee before the woke mob. College basketball players wore jerseys that said on the back “equality” or “equity.” All around the end lines of NBA and WNBA basketball courts, you read “Black Lives Matter.” All of a sudden, a Marxist organization was being promoted, and millions of people were told they could not leave their living rooms while watching basketball. The woke mob also made its way across the Atlantic. Before English Premier League matches, coaches and players bent their knees to “combat racism.” It’s good to be against racism, but don’t take the bait when there is counterfeit racism. 

You no longer need to wonder if professional leagues and teams have engaged in activism and advocacy. All you need to do is flip on ESPN for five minutes.

A current situation in sports raises the question, what would happen if a player or coach did not want to get on board with the program. What if a player wants to maintain neutrality becasue “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” 

We are currently witnessing what life will be like for a player who does not conform to the woke narrative. At present, we are seeing the woke mob attempt to cudgel into place an athlete who just wants to play basketball, and it is happening in the WNBA.    

The Caitlin Clark Effect

Caitlin Clark is the most famous women’s athlete of my lifetime, and not everyone loves it. She is from flyover country, and she took the country by storm in 2022-2224 with her trademark three-point shots from the logo. She led the Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s basketball team to the Final Four and then the championship game in the 2023-2024 season. Attendance records were shattered in games where Caitlin Clark was on the court. Iowa Hawkeye games were on major networks during primetime. Even Gus Johnson, one of the greatest sports commentators of this generation, called a few games. Clark is seen in Gatorade and All-State ads. Women’s college basketball was at an all-time high because of Caitlin Clark. In light of the attention Clark is receiving because of her accomplishments and talents, there is a growing jealousy among female basketball players and coaches. The jealousy does not shock me. Where sin exists, jealousy exists. Plenty of NBA players were jealous of the attention Michael Jordan received in the 1990s and 2000s. If a person loses a race in the 100-meter dash in the Olympics and the winner gets money, endorsements, interviews, and a book deal, the loser might become jealous. Sports are full of jealous people. Clark’s emergence onto the WNBA scene has received mixed reviews, including those who are jealous of the attention she has received. Even Micahel Jordan had an Isaiah Thomas, or more like the entire Detroit Pistons roster, who hated Jordan out of jealousy. 

However, another category of people do not like Caitlin Clark. Let’s call this the intersectional crowd. 

Toxic Feminism

The WNBA is filled with toxic feminism. The term feminism is already littered with problems, but now feminism is spuing our acid like lava from an erupting volcano. Before continuing to diagnose the problem, here is a factoid for you. The data varies slightly, but around 30% of players in the WNBA identify as something other than straight. The percentage might be higher if you account for the number of people who do not want to comment. When you throw in the number of straight women who advocate for LGBTQ causes, then you have a toxic environment. Nonetheless, keep that toxic percentage in mind because I will return to it. 

Recently, on ESPN, a former WNBA player turned commentator described the progress made in the WNBA over the last twenty years. Her first point is valid: There are better athletes playing in the WNBA today than 20 years ago. Her third point is equally valid: The WNBA is the top professional organization for advocacy. So, what are they advocating for? The answer is easy to discern: The WNBA is a hotbed for LGBTQ+ advocacy. So, what happens if you do not want to join the LGBTQ+ advocacy program? 

Yes, the world is witnessing a rise in WNBA viewership. Clark placed her stamp on the game before arriving in the league, and now people are filling stadiums and purchasing the WNBA TV package. Never in my life did I think that Stephen A Smith would care to talk about women’s basketball. With the rise in popularity, athletes and commentators of the WNBA are revealing their true colors. The vitriol toward Clark is becasue she wants to “sell sneaks to Republicans,” and she is straight and white. I wish race were not a factor, but how is it not? I want to think that because she is dating a dude who is also from flyover country, it makes no difference, but I do not see it any other way. No other professional league has bought into the CRT and intersectional nonsense than the WNBA. 

Connecting the dots is relatively easy. If someone refuses to join the “advocacy program,” you can expect to hear about it on the court. 

What’s Next? 

If Clark does not give in to the woke mob, the only way forward for her is to unequivocally be the best WNBA player ever, but people will continue to hate. If she is a mediocre WNBA player, she will continue to receive hate, and people will eventually forget about her. She even might be run out of the league. Honestly, it’s not a fair bar for her to achieve. It’s so high. No player has come into a league with such high expectations and unwantedly caused division. I do not personally know Caitlin Clark, and I am sure she has a ton of personal foibles. I am not a fan of how she runs her mouth throughout the game. I am not here to defend Clark’s character. However, there is no doubt that she is being targeted. It may not be a coordinating targeting. There might not be a text thread by the Wokesters machinating behind the scenes. But the Wokesters no longer need a text thread to coordinate. When the DNA of advocacy is in a person, they naturally know what to do. 

What is next is to sit and watch everything unfold and hope and pray that sports will be about sports and not about activism and advocacy. Unfortunately, the destructive nature of the LGBTQ ideology first needs to come to its natural end. But by the time that happens, will anyone even care to watch? 

– Edmund Burke