It’s not hard to understand why Caitlin Clark, the record-setting white ex-NCAA women’s basketball standout, is enjoying attention and endorsements like no WNBA player before her. And, no, it’s not because of (mythical) “white privilege.”
It’s just as how Tiger Woods — who brought legions of new fans to golf the way Clark is doing for women’s hoops — was treated like royalty in the late ’90s for being the first dominant “black” (he calls himself “Cablinansian”) golfer. It’s just as how Danica Patrick became the golden girl of auto racing, even though she was perhaps best known for crashing, because she was a woman in a man’s arena. It’s just as how Gerry Cooney was much ballyhooed in the early ’80s for being a “great white hope” in heavyweight boxing, a category where for decades the champion had almost always been black.
It’s called novelty.
Clark is a white gal, after all, in a league 63 to 80 percent black. There’s another factor, too: People expect the best basketball players to be black. This makes Clark akin to an underdog (that is, in a sense), and people tend to root for underdogs.
Add to this that she’s the “girl next door,” with an impressive college GPA, pleasant demeanor and some obvious intelligence, and she’s a sponsor’s dream. She’s decidedly not a thug in a league in which, sadly, thuggish behavior is too common. (Take note of this, WNBA ladies: You are a product. Making yourself more unattractive makes you less marketable. Oh, and this Captain Obvious economics lesson is free of charge.)
None of this matters to the Caitlin Clark Hate Brigade, though. Some WNBA players and certain fans are livid and insanely jealous that she’s garnering perhaps unprecedented fame and endorsement money. This isn’t surprising. Women are known for being envious — especially of other women. And when that intense jealousy and other negative emotions kick in, they may try to viciously destroy the object of their wrath (seemingly oblivious, in this case, to the fact that this may destroy the Clark-enabled future prospects of their welfare-case league. I call it that because the WNBA survives off NBA-provided subsidies.) Yet in certain cases — just some — there’s surely also a deeper, psychological reason for the Clark hatred.
It’s no secret that many American blacks are intensely racially oriented, exhibiting great racial patriotism and often deriving self-esteem from the idea that they’re part of a special group. To such people, these group-focused individuals, everything is about group competition. And deriving positive self-image from group membership means maintaining the idea that the group is special, if not superior.
And what idealogy fosters hatred homosexuality, confusion anger fatherless generations?
Unsportsmanlike or is it unsportsnonbinary?
Catlins also straight! In a league I’m sure exceeds that racial number by 10%
Wake up America – white hate is real – white discrimination is real – we are just not allowed to discuss it.
Jealously since the rule of sports domination has been 1 race for decades. Another gets shined on and the ugliness comes out. Needless to say the domination are only being used for profit. Just look at the domination in ownership. Of course money blinds the players, while the owners laugh it up each and every day.