Caitlin Clark marketing boom sparks questions about race

LOS ANGELES — WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark made a name for herself in college when she became the highest-scoring basketball player in NCAA history.

Her professional career is off to a good start, but the player’s extensive media coverage has not been without controversy.

LA Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter wrote about the marketing boom surrounding Clark and why some players are questioning whether her coverage is because of her race.

Baxter spoke with Kelvin Washington on “LA Times Today.” 

Baxter explained how Clark has helped expand the presence and relevance of the WNBA. 

“She is drawing crowds everywhere she goes. She had 55,000 people come out to a football stadium to watch her play a practice game her last year in college. She is definitely going to revolutionize the game in a number of different ways. She’s already making a change in the WNBA this year. For the first time, they’re going to fly charter. They never did that before,” he said.

But, Baxter said, some of her fellow players have spoken out, saying players of color are being overlooked in favor of Clark. 

“Caitlin Clark is white, straight, and from Iowa. She’s coming into a league that is 70% Black. It’s about 30% LGBTQ, with most players coming from the coast. So Caitlin Clark is a unicorn in a lot of different ways in the WNBA. I don’t think they’re jealous, because Caitlin Park is raising their level of income, the way their teams are treated on the road and travel, their pay, everything. But there are some players and some journalists asking questions. Why has this not happened before? Because we’ve had other players come in like Candace Parker, like Lisa Leslie, Brittney Griner, who came in and revolutionized the game in their own way. But they were Black,” Baxter said. 

Baxter explained that a recent University of Massachusetts study found that “Black players in the WNBA received just a fraction of the media attention that white players did, even though the Black players were superior.”

Baxter said Caitlin’s talent is undeniable, even if she gets more coverage than her peers. 

“She is a revolutionary player. She will change the way the WNBA is played… But people are saying it’s not just her talent… it’s the fact that she’s different in a league that has struggled to gain a foothold with the American viewing public,” he explained.

Clark has inspired new fans of the WNBA to show up to games. Her matchup against the Sparks at Crypto.com Arena in May set an attendance record of over 19,000 fans.

“I think you can quantify the fact that white players have historically gotten more media attention and more sponsorship deals now that Caitlin Clark is reaching beyond some of the boundaries that perhaps people like us in the media have put on her stardom, she’s touching people from every community,” Baxter concluded.

Watch the full interview above.

Watch “LA Times Today” at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.