Back

If the accomplishments of Black people are invisible to you, then you miss so much about the world. But if you can see Black people as entire human beings, then you give them credit for their accomplishments.

The uplift in viewership and ticket sales for the WNBA is being called the "Caitlin Clark effect." Yes, she is the biggest draw. But if you look at where ticket sales have increased the most, you see that it's Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces, and who they play.

https://wgntv.com/sports/chicago-sky/wnba-ticket-sales-on-stubhub-are-up-93-chicago-sky-among-top-in-demand-teams/

2/N

@mekkaokereke Exhibit A: Kamilla Cardoso. She was the MVP on the championship NCAA team and a first-round draft pick. Why isn’t her name in the headlines too?

@superflippy @mekkaokereke I like cardoso more. Clark makes a lot of shots, but also misses a lot. And she crumbles under pressure a bit.

Cardoso would be my pick to win championships. (Which I guess that isn't such a wild thought after she just won a championship)

@ATLeagle @superflippy @mekkaokereke There’s no need to pick apart Clark. None of this is her fault. She didn’t choose to be the media’s white, straight, suburban darling, she’s just a young athlete trying to earn a living playing ball despite patriarchy. Considering all the racist BS she’s been a bystander to, she’s done pretty well at pushing back against it while living in a fishbowl she didn’t ask for. The media/society are the problem, not any of the players.

@mekkaokereke @ATLeagle @superflippy I was responding to “she crumbles under pressure.” That sounded a bit like a value judgement, perhaps a bit implicitly sexist compared to how male rookies who have missed key shots are described. I realize that may have been unintentional and that your thread was about the media phenomenon rather than Clark herself, but offline & elsewhere online I have seen people personally insulting Clark, even calling her racist for getting attention she doesn’t control.

@mekkaokereke @ATLeagle @superflippy I do think it’s important to recognize that there are human beings - quite young ones - at the center of all this, and that unfortunately cultural backlash all too often doesn’t fall on the people responsible for the initial offense (in this case white, mostly male sports journalists who are mystified by the concept of people actually wanting to watch women’s sports), but on someone who is not directly responsible but is visible & therefore easy to scapegoat.

@PedestrianError @ATLeagle @superflippy

I'm calling out the very specific type of misogynoir that bristles at the very idea that a darling white woman might ever be criticized for anything, ever. This is the most dangerous aspect for Black women in the workforce.

Caitlin Clark has said, repeatedly, that she doesn't view this criticism as inaccurate or harmful! It happens to every highly touted rookie, of every gender and race.

In fact she's called out these attempts to "protect" her from it.

@PedestrianError @ATLeagle @superflippy

I'm also calling out the misogynoir that diminishes and sheds credit away from the contributions of Black women (who increased viewership too), and siphons it towards white women, in particular, Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin has called out this over-attriburion to her, and under-attribution to the Black women, as BS as well. As has Paige Bueckers, and Hailey Van Lith.

These women are fierce competitors, not damsels.

And again, these women are all friends!

@PedestrianError @ATLeagle @superflippy

Everyone could see that Kobe would go from 5 airballs, to hitting game winners.

Everyone could see that Sabrina Ionescu would go from setting records for missed 3 pointers, to setting records for made 3 pointers.

Everyone could see that Wemby would go from struggling as a rookie, to being an all time great.

Everyone could see that LeBron would go from losing games in Cleveland, to Cleveland, NBA champs.

Same with Caitlin. It's not "an attack."

@ATLeagle @mekkaokereke @superflippy Oh, I agree there was room to criticize that game. It is subtle and context sensitive and we’re all still getting used to hearing female athletes even get discussed by mainstream sports media and fans on a regular basis. I guess it seems there’s more of a tendency overall to hear “HE crumbled in the championship game”/“SHE [habitually] crumbles under pressure” but the individuals saying one or the other might use the same expression regardless of gender.

@PedestrianError @mekkaokereke @superflippy agreed. There is subtlety in everything. I will try to be more situationally specific to avoid the broad brush interpretation