Cari Champion went on a tirade against Caitlin Clark and her supporters on Thursday. The journalist discussed Clark, breaking down her massive appeal, before slamming the Fever guard’s fans, calling them “entitled.”
Appearing on The Bakari Sellers Show, Champion highlighted Clark’s appeal and compared her to Stephen Curry, agreeing that she has, in fact, changed the game.
“What Caitlin Clark has done looks very similar to Steph Curry,” Champion said. “She’s made the game impactful and tangible for people who’ve never really watched it.
“She’s an avatar for middle America, white people, who want to see white women doing well and playing in a sport that is traditionally black … So she brings in this new fan base. And what this fan base does is bring in more business. And the WNBA has needed this business.”
Highlighting Clark’s massive appeal, Champion then called her fan base “entitled” while arguing that the WNBA wasn’t addressing this entitlement because of the revenue it generated.
“They (WNBA) look the other way when this fan base behaves like MAGA. They look the other way when this fan base is wholly inappropriate to other players,” Champion continued. “Quite frankly, a lot of us probably haven’t talked about in some time. And so the WNBA is trying to balance this entitled fan base.
“I say they are entitled because they get so upset when you say anything about Caitlin, when you say she doesn’t play defense. When you say that she needs to be better on the court.”
Champion has long criticized Clark and her fan base, with Thursday’s comments being no exception. The analyst’s remarks come amid the backlash against Team USA’s coaching staff for not starting Clark during the FIBA World Cup.
Cari Champion slams the WNBA for “coddling” Caitlin Clark
Cari Champion went on a rant on Thursday while discussing Caitlin Clark and her fan base. However, the analyst didn’t stop there, as she also criticized the WNBA, claiming they were “coddling” the Fever star.
“If the W really wants to be taken seriously, they cannot be coddled,” Champion said. “And I’m talking about all players. And I think that they’re mishandling Caitlin at a time that is so polarizing … You’re coddling her, and you’re ignoring this extremely nasty base. Unhinged.”
Champion was critical of the league, Clark and her fans as the star continues to gain a massive following amid her third season.
Edited by Arian Kashyap
