A series of The view has stated where Indiana Fever basketball player Caitlin Clark gets her popularity from.
On Wednesday, May 22, the hosts were discussing a recent article written by the Los Angeles Times in which ex ESPN Host Jemele Hill told the outlet that Clark's race and sexuality influenced why she is a popular player.
“We would all be very naive if we didn't say that race and his sexuality influenced his popularity,” said the contributing writer of He Atlantic he told the media. “While so many people are happy for Caitlin's success – including the players; “This has had a huge impact on the game; there's a bit of it that's a bit problematic because of what it says about the value and marketability of the players who are already there.”
Sunny Hostin reflected on having been a basketball fan for as long as she could remember and appreciating the surge in attention and viewership Clark was generating through her record-breaking games, but agreed with Hill's opinion that her race and sexuality They played an important role. part of her success.
“I think there is something called beautiful privilege. There is something called white privilege,” he told his fellow hosts. “There's something called great privilege, and we have to recognize it, and part of it has to do with race, because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, why did she have to go play in Russia? Because they (the WNBA) wouldn't pay him.”
“Now Caitlin Clark is investing this money and these sponsorships, we hope, into the league and other players will benefit from it. But I do think it's easier to relate to her because she's white, because she's attractive, and unfortunately there's still that stigma against the LGBTQ+ community.”
Hostin then listed statistics that mentioned that 70 percent of the WNBA were black and a third of them identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. “I think people have a problem with lesbian women playing basketball. Who cares? They are great athletes,” she said on the program.
Host Alyssa Farah Griffin explained her reasoning for why she likes to see Clark as someone who doesn't like sports beforehand. She started watching women's basketball because everyone around her was talking about Clark and she quickly found her “very fun to watch” regardless of her skin color.
Host Whoopi Goldberg also weighed in on the conversation, saying that both she and Hostin have been trying to talk more about the WNBA and bring more recognition to women's basketball for years.
“These women are often equal to, if not better than, the people you're watching,” Goldberg said of the players.
Clark first rose to popularity during her senior year playing basketball at the University of Iowa. Throughout her final season of college basketball, Clark received multiple awards for her skills on the court, including Women's Basketball Superstar and National Player of the Year, making her one of the most successful players in the NCAA.
In addition to being the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, Clark was also the first D1 player to “record over 3,700 points, over 1,000 assists and over 850 rebounds in his career.” When the Hawkeyes won the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase last November, Clark was named tournament MVP.
She went on to be the number one pick in the WNBA draft and was selected by the Indiana Fever.
The independent A Clark representative has been contacted for comment.
