Jemele Hill, race-baiter extraordinaire, is back at it again with an impressively stupid take on race in America, this time insinuating the world only cares about all-time NCAA scoring leader Caitlin Clark because she’s straight and white.
“We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity,” Hill told the LA Times in an interview the outlet posted Monday.
“There is a part of it that is a little problematic because of what it says about the worth and the marketability of the players who are already there,” she reportedly continued.
You know, for years, women and fans of the WNBA decried the massive gaps in popularity and salaries between the WNBA and their male counterparts in the NBA. And while the ladies still make pennies on the dollar compared to the men, their popularity was already on the upswing before Clark helped shoot their commercial appeal into the stratosphere.
Clark’s Top Ten Plays Of 2023-24 Season
Her debut was the most watched game in 23 years, garnering over 2.2 million viewers on ESPN.
Her arrival also dovetailed a long-sought league policy that players had been clamoring for forever. In the past, WNBA players took passenger jets to their games just like everyone else. But starting this season, partially due to security concerns about the megastar Clark flying with the masses, the WNBA announced they would be implementing a charter flight program for every team. (RELATED: The Caitlin Clark Effect: Regular Season Tickets To See Her Official Debut Are A Pretty Penny)
But rather than celebrate the success that Clark has helped usher into the still-fledgling WNBA, rather than letting Clark’s rising tide lift all boats, Hill chooses to do what she’s done her entire career: focus on dividing Americans along racial lines.
Clark’s WNBA Debut Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjPfqJ8NQTw&t=21s
Now, Hill did acknowledge that she has sympathy for Clark’s place at the fulcrum of the race conversation. “In that regard, I feel bad for Caitlin Clark because she didn’t ask for any of that,” she told the Times. But she completely failed to acknowledge the fact that, with her massive platform (1.4 million followers on Twitter) she’s one of those responsible for placing this nonsense on Clark’s shoulders.
“We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity.” – a real Jemele Hill quote about Caitlin Clark.
Apparently, being a straight white woman is a problem.
READ: https://t.co/DrV2gKdVNa pic.twitter.com/UrfSmwtq5N
— OutKick (@Outkick) May 21, 2024
Besides being the NCAA’s all-time division one scoring leader, Clark can attribute some of her poster child status as the benefit of great timing. As stated previously, the WNBA was already on the upswing before Clark’s arrival. 2023 was their best season in terms of attendance, viewership and digital engagement. Was that because of racism, or …
Clark Drops 49 For Iowa
When Brittney Griner smashed into the league in 2013 she became an immediate phenomenon as well. She could dunk, unheard of for women ballers at the time, and she was generally just super fun to watch. She quickly became the face of the league. She also happens to be a black lesbian. I don’t recall any op-eds at the time asking “how much more popular would Brittney Griner be if she was straight and white?” As a matter of fact, I’d venture to say her dual-status in the oppression Olympics categories garnered her more media attention, not less.
Unfortunately for Griner, the still nascent league wasn’t where it is now 11 years ago when she was drafted. But, thanks in part to a $75 million cash infusion prior to the 2022 season, the league is in a position to market their young stars and build upon their burgeoning success. Clark just so happened to be the most exciting college player who’s coming along right as the league is starting to take off.
Compilation Of Ridiculous Caitlin Clark Shots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_62alzUsuQ
I mean seriously folks. She broke the record for points scored in college. She shoots three-point shots from the logo. Steph Curry range. Why is it even a question to ask why she’s the most popular player in the sport? (RELATED: Sports Writer Who Went Full Creep On Caitlin Clark Reportedly Hit With Brutal Punishment)
Imagine the outrage if a white pundit said LeBron is only popular because he’s black. No. He’s the best player in the game. Arguably the most exciting to watch. People pay big money to see him live. They do it in Los Angeles, they did it in Miami. Hell, people went out of their way to go to Cleveland of all places to sneak a peak at the King. It has nothing to do with his skin color. He puts asses in the seats because he’s the best.
Sports are a meritocracy. Arguably the last bastion of meritocracy we have left in our increasingly Marxist culture. And while Clark has (slightly) struggled four games into her pro career, she has four years of college highlight reels showing the world just how electric she is.
Clark’s Senior Season Highlights
Hill knows all this too, by the way. As an apparently avid WNBA fan and reasonably intelligent person, I doubt any of those points are lost on her. But she’s made a career out of sparking outrage with her race-baiting grift. Attaching Clark’s name to her inflammatory remarks only serves to bring in more hate-clicks and continue to build her brand on hatred and division.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t care if Clark is black or white, gay or straight, likes her eggs scrambled or poached or whatever else. The chick can ball. That’s all any of us should care about. And until she stops being the most exciting and electric player on the court, people are going to love her. Hill is just going to have to get used to it.
