Caitlin Clark has been on quite a tear recently, scoring points and breaking records with frightening regularity. However, longtime sports analyst Cari Champion sees a disturbing trend in Clark’s recent tour de force: Favoritism.
On a recent episode of her podcast, Flagrant and Funny, Champion recalled an incident from last week where Clark got in heated confrontations with Golden State Valkyries player Tiffany Hayes. The ensuing online backlash to the incident prompted Champion to recall another incident last year when Clark told a referee to open their eyes. Champion saw an inconsistency: Clark taunted a ref, and another recent incident in which second-year star Paige Bueckers got a technical for clapping.
“That type of blatant favoritism annoys the hell out of me,” Champion said Wednesday.
“I don’t know if this is her fault, because I think it might be unfair for me to say that this is her fault. But at the same time, it’s like, why is she getting this special treatment? And it just is, yet again, another example of the league and its fans… being so precious with her.”
But that wasn’t all, Champion next took on an even stronger tone by saying that Clark’s “entitlement” has made her unlikable.
“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘I don’t like you. I don’t like the way you behave on the court,’” Champion said.
“And the league is positioning you to be its superstar because you are, and with leadership comes certain responsibility. And if you don’t want that responsibility, I understand that. But the way that you behave, this entitlement, the way you are talking to your coaches… you enjoy that. So, if that’s what you enjoy, if you want to be the villain, if you want to be the tough person … then let it be. Because we’re coming at you the same way we could come at anyone else. And her fans need to recognize that. Like, she chooses that behavior.”
While Champin acknowledges that other superstars, such as LeBron James, have made mistakes in how they represent themselves and their league, she believes Clark crosses the line.
“I think the league is not handling her well,” Champion said. “I don’t think coddling her behind the scenes is going to create what they think it’s going to create.”