"He’s an engagement farmer": Fans tear into Jason Whitlock for using "demeaning" Caitlin Clark thumbnail picture

WNBA fans criticized former football player-turned-sports show host Jason Whitlock for a photo of Caitlin Clark used as the thumbnail for one of his recent videos. Whitlock discussed the Indiana Fever star's supposedly constant complaining to referees in the video.

In the video titled "Caitlin Clark Is BECOMING LeBron James?" on Whitlock's YouTube channel, he featured an edited image of Clark with her tongue out and reddened cheeks. The word "Embarrassing" is also written on top, with Whitlock using the word to describe Clark's performance against Minnesota Lynx in the video.

Fans labeled Whitlock, who often presents himself as a Clark supporter, as an "engagement farmer" who uses her for attention.

“He’s an engagement farmer 🤬,” one fan said.

“He uses her for clickbait. Simple as that. Annoying as hell lol,” one fan added.

Another fan chimed in:

“He’s a grifter. He likes talk about what will get him the most clicks.”

One fan expressed disappointment over the thumbnail's use, calling it "demeaning":

“I don’t think anyone should use this thumbnail, very demeaning…I understand some of Jason’s points concerning Caitlin, but until you walk in her shoes, you have no understanding of the frustration she must feel when the referees are always against her.”

“He's there for clicks and that's it. I can't take him seriously,” another fan said.

“Whitlock has a schtick that gets old pretty quick,” a fan added.

One fan criticized how Clark is often used by analysts for attention:

“Everyone uses Caitlin Clark for clicks. These analysts/ influencers/vloggers or whatever they call themselves are shameless.”

What Jason Whitlock said about Caitlin Clark in the video

In the video, Whitlock began by declaring his admiration for Clark, calling her his favorite athlete and saying the Indiana Fever is his favorite team, but admitted feeling "embarrassed" for her performance against the Minnesota Lynx.

“I had a particular reaction: I was embarrassed for Caitlin Clark, and I started tweeting about how this was an embarrassing performance from her. She had no control of her emotions; she spent the entire game bickering and whining to the referees,” he said.

He compared her “flopping” to LeBron James, noting that her antics resulted in points for the Lynx, as the Fever suffered a 99-88 loss.

“She flopped and lay across the ground. The Lynx got the rebound, went all the way down the court, and Caitlin Clark was still laying on the ground, pretending like she'd been assassinated. They got a layup or some bucket.”

“[T]he cosplay, the over-dramatization, the LeBron James flopping, the Luka Dončić flopping—it had just gone too far.”

Whitlock claimed Clark’s “lack of emotional control” would be detrimental for her in reaching her potential and the Fever reaching its full potential as a team.

However, he said he did not turn on Clark and he was merely calling out what she can do to be better.

“And now, Caitlin Clark fans are upset with me about it. ‘Oh, how could you point this out? How dare you? Oh my god, Jason, you've turned on Caitlin Clark!’ I have not turned on Caitlin Clark. I love Caitlin Clark, and that's why I'm calling it out.”

“I know, ‘Oh, she's a rookie, and she's having this great season.’ I get it. She can do better. She's capable of doing better.”

Clark averages 19.2 points, 8.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds this season and has helped the Fever notch their first postseason berth since 2016.