Former WNBA player Ros Gold-Onwude weighed in on how Caitlin Clark has reacted to being at the forefront of racial tensions in the WNBA.
While the Indiana Fever rookie sensation has brought plenty of eyes to the league, her soaring stardom also paraded an outspoken fanbase to stir tension with a predominantly black league.
Speaking on DraftKings’ Good Follow Show, Gold-Onwude applauded Clark for denouncing the toxicity from fans. However, she insisted that the rookie could have used her influence to do more.
‘Caitlin has not had a proactive approach around toxic fandom and what’s something she like to see in her fan base,’ she said. ‘Or being proactive against any type of hateful discourse around WNBA and its players.’
‘However, when she’s been prompted, she has spoken very clearly on those matters and has taken a strong stance that none of that is acceptable. She is against it and denounced it.’
Former WNBA star Ros Gold-Onwude chimed in on Caitlin Clark’s role in the WNBA race war
‘This is where she has agency and how loud of an advocate she wants to be, how loud of an ally she wants to be for her fellow WNBA players, for her teammates,’ Gold-Onwude added. ‘Players, women that she’s sharing the locker room, blood sweat, and tears with.’
‘And for the most part are black women, a number of people identify as LGBTQ. It’s her choice — how she wants to participate as someone who’s willing to say I am them and they are me.’
The ongoing narrative of racism from Clark’s fanbase began when she squared off with collegiate rival and fellow rookie Angel Reese throughout the season.
On her Unapologetically Angel podcast, Reese spoke about how Indiana fans threatened her, followed her home, and made AI-generated nude photos of her and sent them to her family members.
However, the Fever’s playoffs showdown against the Connecticut Sun added fuel to the fire when Alyssa Thomas fumed over the racial abuse her team received from Indiana fans throughout the series. The fans targeted DiJonai Carrington’s eyelashes, while another had a shirt that said ‘ban nails’ with large fake nails coming from each finger.
Clark (right) is seen being defended by DiJonai Carrington in their first-round series
Clark received a hard foul from Carrington in Game 1 of the Fever-Sun playoff series
Alyssa Thomas spoke out on the ‘unacceptable’ racist abuse from Indiana Fever fans
Jason Whitlock claimed ‘Dijonai Carrington stabbed Caitlin Clark in the eye with a fingernail’
‘It’s been a lot of nonsense, I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base,’ Thomas said.
‘We had (Carrington’s) face on a serious matter that happened in this world and it’s unacceptable, honestly. And there’s no place for it and we’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media.’
‘And there’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names. We already see what’s happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect.’
Furthermore, the WNBA Players Union called for USA Today to fire journalist Christine Brennan after she was accused of trying to feed the flame in an interview with Carrington ahead of Game 2.
‘The so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You cannot hide behind your tenure,’ the WNBAPU wrote in their statement.
Angel Reese (right) previously said she’s been targeted by racist abuse from Clark fans
The WNBA players’ union called out journalist Christine Brennan in a recent statement
After crashing out of the playoffs, Clark referred to those making racist remarks as ‘trolls’ rather than fans.
‘It’s definitely upsetting,’ Clark said on Friday. ‘Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats. Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA.’
‘For me, that’s why I became a fan of this league is these people were my idols. I grew up wanting to be like them,’ Clark added. ‘So, I think continuing to uplift and represent this league in a positive way is the best thing that we can do.’
Gold-Onwude pointed out how fast everything is moving for Clark, from a dynamic collegiate career to an explosive rookie season in the professional ranks. She then added that Clark should take the offseason to think of getting more involved in discussions over the aforementioned issues.
‘For us to expect a 22-year-old to have the right words to address racial tensions in America, or to have the right strategy or comprehension of her role in it, or her power in it… Or how her lack of participation could be viewed, that takes a level of education,’ she said.
‘I’ll be interested in seeing how Caitlin uses this offseason to reflect, to get education, and to devise, perhaps, some strategy and then see how she responds.’