'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Caitlin Clark finds an ally in Dan Patrick after Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson downplays her 1-of-1 achievement
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was crowned Time magazine's Athlete of the Year on December 10, an achievement that Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson downplayed but the Fever star seems to have found an ally in Dan Patrick.
Sportscaster Dan Patrick defended Clark during a segment of his show on Tuesday. The former host of NBC's 'Football Night in America' celebrated Clark's achievements calling out Johnson for her comments.
"So, I don't know who this person (Sheila Johnson) is but (her comments) felt like if you are going to celebrate the WNBA, why not celebrate it with everyone in the WNBA or some of the bigger stars and Caitlin Clark?" Patrick said. "But if you're Time's Person of the Year, it's not the People of the Year. It was a Person of the Year"
Speaking about Clark's impact and comparing it to other sporting icons, Patrick said:
"Can't we just acknowledge that Caitlin Clark changed the WNBA? This is a unique moment, Caitlin Clark did for the WNBA what Wayne Gretzky did for the NHL... When Tiger (Woods) joined the PGA Tour, did we say, 'Oh Time's Man of the Year, we cannot have Tiger on there, we have to have everybody on there,'"
Dan's support for Clark is a reaction to Minnesota Mystics co-owner Shiela's comments about the Indiana star. The billionaire expressed how she felt that Clark didn't deserve the award for her individual contributions and that the entire WNBA should have been celebrated instead.
Dan Patrick once agreed with Clark being snubbed
Despite supporting her on this issue, Dan Patrick agreed with Team USA's decision to not pick Clark for the Paris Olympics roster. In a clip posted on the Dan Patrick Show's X account on June 10, Dan said that he didn't think that Clark was one of the top 12 players in the USA.
"I don’t think Caitlin Clark is one of the 12 best players right now, Now, if you want to have popularity, she is number one," the veteran sportscaster said. "It’s a given, they are going to win the gold medal. Do you want to have Caitlin Clark on the roster? And if you do, who are you taking off?" How do you tell that person ‘Hey, we want to have the popular girl on,'"
Continuing his explanation of why Clark should sit out, Dan expressed that she was still young and deserved a break after not having had a chance to take a break from the sport for ten months.
Trending
