This didn’t happen again, did it? It did. USA Today attempted to criticize Caitlin Clark twice and failed both times. First, this absurd op-ed by Nancy Armor, who honestly should be assigned a different beat because sports and social issues aren’t her strong points. Sorry, the whole op-ed sounded like it was written by someone who doesn’t watch sports, and the comparisons were downright comical. She compared Clark fandom to white supremacy, adding that the hostility directed at other players over this issue with one of the WNBA’s star players is like Emmett Till or something. Clark has been targeted aggressively, with officials missing numerous calls on what are clearly hard fouls.
It seems there is a white nationalist element to Clark’s fandom that is deeply, deeply problematic, made even more so because the WNBA is made up predominantly of Black women, many of them queer. When Clark claims fouls that don’t exist, when she goes on profanity-laced tirades at referees, those racists see her as a white woman in need of saving and take matters into their own hands.
Gray posted just one of the messages she got following the Fever game, in which a man called her a racial slur. After fans identified the man, he was fired by his employer, Hilton Grand Vacations.
It shouldn’t need reminding this country has an awful history of Black people being harmed, even killed, in the name of “defending” white women. The WNBA's All-Star Game this weekend is in Chicago, Emmett Till's hometown, and a local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn't been lynched. While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the wider consequences of her actions.
Armour issued a media apology that was more of a non-apology, which protected her account. Now, the same publication tried to criticize Clark for not attending the WNBA All-Star Orange Carpet event, only to have to eat crow because the Indiana Fever star wasn’t there—she was hosting a charity dinner.
Clarification: Caitlin Clark was attending an event for the Caitlin Clark Foundation, which is why she missed the WNBA All-Star Weekend Orange Carpet.
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 24, 2026
Recommended
USA TODAY SPORTS EDITOR: "We have another damning story on Caitlin Clark, get that up on the site immediately!"
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) July 24, 2026
USA TODAY INTERN: "Shouldn't we confirm things, first?"
EDITOR: "NO! Run it!!"
(hits PUBLISH)
INTERN: "...uh, sir...?"
EDITOR: "Oh, dammit." pic.twitter.com/O24nhSaYSX
https://t.co/NIOgGSuDx8 pic.twitter.com/QOBkcgCe0d
— Magills (@magills_) July 24, 2026
Seriously - somebody needs to be reprimanded for this… pic.twitter.com/8ez9kqzQOf
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) July 24, 2026
Dear Lord, folks.
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