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WNBA fans charged at ESPN analyst Monica McNutt over her latest take on Caitlin Clark's popularity. During an interview with BBC's Katty Kay published on Wednesday, McNutt said that Clark being white drew a lot of attention to her games.
"And so covering the WNBA this past season, Caitlin Clark's rookie year, for all of the conversation that surrounded her, some which was fair and some which wasn't, the one thing that I cannot deny is the amount of little girls that were showing up to follow her.
"Same thing for Angel Reese, when I had a chance to cover their games. But I think Caitlin represented, and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her, because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she was a white girl from the middle of America. And so she represented a whole lot to a lot of people, whether that is truly what she prescribed to or not."
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Fans flooded social media, ripping into McNutt's take by bringing up other white players as an example.
"Why the f**k didn’t this happen with Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, or Sabrina Ionescu?" another fan questioned.
Others called out McNutt for contradicting herself while also naming examples of black athletes having the same impact.
"Saying CC is representative of white racists is akin to saying Angel Reese is representative of Chicago’s gang violence," one fan said.
"It’s crazy because the war cc’s popularity is discussed you would think that Sabrina ionescu or Kelsey plum are apparently black basketball players," another fan said.
"People are inspired by greatness. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams… no one said kids only looked up to them because they were black," another fan said.
Monica McNutt accused of being anti-Caitlin Clark during 2024 WNBA season
This isn't the first time Monica McNutt has been in an unflattering light. The ESPN analyst was criticized by fans on several occasions during Caitlin Clark's rookie season. During an episode of "The Daily Show" hosted by Jon Stewart in June, McNutt gave flowers to Clark but insisted that players who came before her also deserved attention.
She engaged in heated debates with Stephen A. Smith on "First Take," as well as with fans on social media. Time has passed and McNutt keeps putting her foot in the mud with Clark's fans.
Caitlin Clark has made a strong impact on women's basketball, and the way she used to look up to Maya Moore, little girls all over the country are now looking up to her. Since her Iowa days, Clark was a very popular player who went from playing in front of friends and family to selling out arenas.
The WNBA had seen white players shine before, but Clark's playstyle and competitiveness have conquered fans like nobody else.
