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The WNBA has had more eyes on it this season with the arrival of a strong rookie class, the most noteworthy of which is Caitlin Clark.
Clark, who was at the top of NCAA Women’s Basketball as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the #1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, and the Indiana Fever star has had a target on her back from other players as the new fan favorite in the sports league.
However, beyond her fellow players and fans of the WNBA, Clark has also drawn the attention of talking heads within the sports world. While many of these analysts are willing to give Clark her flowers as a draw for the league, some are also quick to point out that her fellow first-year WNBA members, such as Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, are causing a stir as well.
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Then there’s Pat McAfee, who solely credits the attention the WNBA has amassed on her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
On the June 3 episode of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, McAfee explained the importance of Clark to the league but did so using unsavory language that he’s since had to apologize for online.
“What the WNBA currently has is what we like to describe as a cash cow. There is a superstar,” McAfee stated early into his show.
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“And we’re not saying the players need to act any different… But I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, just call it for what it is.
“There is one white b***h for the Indiana team who is a superstar.”
The former punter for the Indiana Colts addressed his comments on X (formerly Twitter) soon after his show went off the air.
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“I shouldn’t have used ‘white b***h’ as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark,” McAfee wrote. “No matter the context… even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening… I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.”
McAfee went on to reaffirm that he was trying to be complimentary of Clark rather than to disparage her, adding: “My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment, but a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all.
“That’s 100% on me and for that, I apologize. I have sent an apology to Caitlin as well.”
Dylan Murray