"Jemele Hill makes EVERYTHING about race": Former ESPN analyst catches Caitlin Clark fans' outrage over controversial WNBA take

Modified May 23, 2024 19:31 GMT

Caitlin Clark brought women’s basketball into a larger spotlight and has drawn many eyes to the WNBA this season. Unfortunately for Clark, the attention has also brought out many critics. Aside from her winless start to the season, many are also taking shots at Clark for why she is so popular.

Sports and political analyst Jemele Hill is not afraid to share her opinion. She once got in hot water with her previous employer ESPN for criticizing President Donald Trump.

Now, she is criticizing Caitlin Clark’s rise to stardom, claiming the WNBA rookie is more popular due to her race and sexuality.

Expand Tweet

"We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity. While so many people are happy for Caitlin’s success, including the players; this has had such an enormous impact on the game,” Hill said.

Hill’s take quickly gained traction and became a talking point on social media. Her critics accused her of bringing up race where it was not necessary.

“So, who the hell is Jemele Hill? I really don't know. A black woman, envious of a white woman. Who is the racist?” a fan wrote.

This fan was not the only one to make accusations against Hill. Others had plenty of names to call the sports commentator.

“Jemele Hill thinks & makes EVERTYTHING about race because @jemelehill is a racist,” a fan wrote.

Many came out with their own online hate toward Hill for her take on Caitlin Clark.

“Jemele Hill is the worst,” a fan wrote.

“Never seen a sports take where Jemele Hill isn’t there to make sure she can racebait the crap out of it…..so tiresome,” a fan wrote.

“Which of [Caitlin Clark's] NCAA record 3,951 points were scored due to the color of her skin?" a user wrote.

Others took a more humorous approach to rebuke Hill. This fan got more creative with their opposition to Hill’s hot take.

“I honestly have no idea what her sexuality is but I know she hits from the logo,” the fan wrote.

Stephen A. Smith calls out critics who claim Caitlin Clark is benefitting from her race

In an interview, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith came to the defense of Caitlin Clark. He called out the critics who claim Clark is famous due to the color of her skin.

“I think, as a society, we have to grow up,” Smith said. “Race is always a component we can’t ignore, but it doesn’t always have to be negative. When you look at Caitlin Clark — yes, she’s white, and yes, she’s getting a level of shine that others before her didn’t get who happened to be black and they were terrific players — but that’s an indictment against society.”

Smith believes the media has handled Clark’s rise to fame well. He admires what she has done to grow the women’s game so early in her career.

“The media is going to go where the story is,” Smith said. “Caitlin Clark has done a phenomenal job turning herself into a story. She happens to be white, but also happens to be a terrific basketball player, a terrific person with terrific family background with terrific marketability assets.”

Smith also admired Clark’s outspoken opinion. He said he liked how she uses her platform to attempt to fix some of the inequalities the women’s players face like securing private charter flights for WNBA teams this season for the first time.