Jemele Hill Thinks Caitlin Clark’s Success Is ‘Problematic’ While Bringing Up Her ‘Race And Sexuality’

Caitlin Clark and Jemele Hill (Photos via Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark is only four games into her WNBA career, and the hot takes surrounding her continue to come out.

Former ESPN journalist and current contributor to The Atlantic, Jemele Hill, has yet another hot take in regards to Caitlin Clark as she spoke in length about her popularity and what it took for her to obtain it.

Hill recently opened up about Clark’s rise to stardom and how it could cause an issue for the WNBA.

Hill thinks Clark’s race and sexuality have played a role in people tuning in for every game.

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

Hill continued, “There’s plenty of room to highlight and celebrate Caitlin Clark’s popularity while also discussing ways in which to not erase Black women from a league that they have built and continue to build.” 

In particular, Hill criticized companies like Nike for contributing to the exclusion of more diverse athletes, claiming that “Black women are often erased from the picture.”

Hill praised Clark’s play and expressed her belief that it would work in the WNBA, but she also took issue with the way the media has portrayed Clark. It has been difficult to ignore Clark’s influence on women’s basketball since a record 2.4 million viewers watched the WNBA draft on ESPN.

That number was higher than last year’s MLB draft on ESPN/MLB Network and the NHL draft, which also aired on ESPN.

Jemele Hill has a serious issue with Caitlin Clark, but it’s not from something she did or said, but from the media who covers her.

Caitlin Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar, is the biggest name in women’s college basketball over the past few years and it’s not even close. She has been billed as the female Stephen Curry and draws eyes to her just like him.

Not only do fans flock to see her, but the media coverage of her is insane, which is a problem for Jemele Hill.

The former ESPN host is arguing that the media covers white players like Caitlin Clark much more differently than they do with Black players.

“Everything about this sport has been trending up for years now. It did not just start with Caitlin Clark,” Hill said in an interview with Uproxx.

A study I cited recently for a piece I wrote in The Atlantic [found that] when you compare [the coverage] of, say, someone like (Paige) Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu, or Caitlin Clark to A’ja Wilson, who has dominated basketball at every single level. She’s probably the best player in the world right now. And I’m not trying to act like she gets no coverage, but the coverage that sometimes non-white women get, or specifically Black women get, is not even close. It’s two-to-one,” Hill added.

Hill further added that A’ja Wilson, arguably the best player in the world, deserved more coverage than what Caitlin Clark is getting right now.

I mean, Aliyah Boston was the best player in college just a couple of years ago. And she did not get even a 10th of this media coverage that Caitlin Clark did. Now, some people would say, ‘Oh, it’s her game.’ But I don’t think it was that. She’s tremendous on television, and I’m thinking, What a missed opportunity for the national media to really elevate who she was as a person. Caitlin Clark seems to be a great personality, but it is not like Caitlin Clark is walking around saying crazy stuff. They’re just covering her excellence, and that’s good enough. Whereas it feels like for Black athletes to get the same amount of coverage or even fair coverage, there has to be something extra [beyond basketball].”

Clark is having a fabulous run with the No. 1-seeded Iowa in her senior year. The superstar guard has broken several NCAA records as she looks to add a National Championship to her resume before she departs to the WNBA after the year.

Despite what Jemele Hill may think, Clark will not only be etched in college basketball history for her incredible scoring feats but also for her overall impact on the women’s game.

Caitlin Clark is a ratings and attendance darling in college, and she can bring that excitement surrounding her to the WNBA and that is a good thing for everyone.

Not only can she be a draw for her home fans, but also for other fan bases on the road. The WNA is already trending upward and Clark will only help it go to even bigger heights with her presence.

Everyone should be rooting that she turns out to be the WNBA version of Stephen Curry