“Just not the white girl!” Caitlin Clark and ‘racist’ Billionaire owner controversy has Skip Bayless seething
Skip Bayless took offense to Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson for undermining Caitlin Clark's impact in the WNBA.
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Skip Bayless slammed Sheila Johnson bringing race to undermine Caitlin Clark's impact in the WNBA
All of last season, the WNBA struggled with narratives surrounding racism. Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark kept on playing basketball, but after the season ended, addressed those issues calling out the section of fans who brought that to the league. But the drama did not end with that.
When Caitlin Clark was announced as Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year, many were ecstatic as it proved once again that she was instrumental in bringing the spotlight on women’s basketball and sports as a whole. But that hype was short lived when Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson discredited it.
She suggested that the entire league should have been on the cover of Time Magazine. By giving her the individual honors, she felt it was undermining the rest of the players. The billionaire also made a point that the 22-year-old was not alone in bringing the attention to the WNBA.
Some have already called out Johnson for her remarks, suggesting the 75-year-old’s words portrayed the league in a bad light. But analyst Skip Bayless was not so forgiving as he went on to slam the Washington Wizards owner.
I thought what Wizards owner Sheila Johnson said about Caitlin Clark came off as racist. I’m pretty sure, if WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson had made the cover of Time, Johnson wouldn’t have had any problem with that. Just not the white girl!
Skip Bayless on The Skip Bayless Show
"Sheila Johnson and every WNBA star should thank God every morning and night for Caitlin Clark." – @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/X6IQZSjGR1
— The Skip Bayless Show (@SkipBaylessShow) December 18, 2024
The 72-year-old analyst also mentioned that Sheila Johnson’s words came off as if the WNBA is solely the domain of black players. Therefore, having a white player as the Athlete of the Year was ‘not healthy’ for them.
Skip Bayless schools Sheila Johnson on Caitlin Clark’s impact
That rant from Skip Bayless was not the end of it. He felt that Johnson had revealed what the WNBA and majority of its players felt about Caitlin Clark and the attention she was receiving. But to hit home the point, he had this to say about her impact for the league.
That skinny white girl was the best thing that ever happened to the WNBA. She’s already the most exciting and entertaining player in the league, the one can’t take your eyes off of. The biggest reason she was chosen Athlete of the Year by Time, Caitlin Clark lifted the WNBA into the national consciousness.
Skip Bayless on The Skip Bayless Show
The former ESPN and FS1 analyst added that Sheila Johnson and WNBA players should thank God for bringing them their Rookie of the Year. He feels without her, the league would have continued to live in obscurity.
By trying to talk about Black players, Bayless feels the Washington Mystics owner brought back racism into the WNBA. It is something they have tried hard to get rid of this past season. His words were in line with what his nemesis Charles Barkley said towards the start of Clark’s rookie season.
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Joseph Varghese
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