Caitlin Clark has become one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball since entering the WNBA as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. Her popularity has helped bring more attention to the league, while her competitive style and outspoken moments on the court have also made her a frequent subject of debate.
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That debate is now at the center of an upcoming Vice TV docuseries, and some WNBA fans are pushing back over Clark’s inclusion.
Vice TV has greenlit “Everybody Hates,” a six-part series profiling athletes who have become polarizing figures in sports, according to Variety. The show will feature Clark alongside Jake Paul, Aaron Rodgers, Michael Vick, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The series is scheduled to premiere on October 27 at 9 p.m. ET, with episodes focusing on a different athlete each week. Clark’s episode is scheduled for November 10.
“She propelled women’s basketball into the mainstream, but why do people hate her?” the episode description reads. “Sports influencer Rachel A. DeMita, journalist Jemele Hill, and more dive deeper on her fiery personality and the media chatter around her.”
That description and the lineup were enough to generate a strong response on social media.
“Putting Caitlin Clark in this group is ridiculous,” WNBA analyst Ashley Nicole Moss wrote.
Another fan questioned why Clark was included, arguing that the backlash against her is driven largely by a particular segment of fans rather than widespread dislike.
“KEEP CAITLIN’S NAME OFF OF THIS LIST,” another user wrote, while others asked what Clark had done to warrant being featured in a series with athletes known for generating controversy.
“Clark is hated for no reason, but she shouldn’t be here. I get why they likely chose her, but still,” a fan commented on Variety’s X post.
“Caitlin Clark being on this list is the giveaway. VICE is not really making a series about ‘bad’ athletes; it is making one about athletes who became public arguments. Clark sharing six episodes with Jake, Rodgers, Michael, Cristiano, and Mayweather makes the common denominator pretty obvious: not behavior, but polarization. ‘Everybody Hates’ is the title. ‘Everybody Has A Take’ is the actual product,” another fan commented on that post.
One commenter argued that the common thread among the athletes was not necessarily their behavior, but the amount of public debate surrounding them.
Rachel DeMita Responds to the Backlash
Not everyone involved with the project appeared to view Clark’s inclusion in the same way as the critics. DeMita, who was interviewed for Clark’s episode, addressed the reaction after Variety announced the series.
“I sat down for a 3-hour interview for this docuseries last year (title hadn’t yet been revealed),” DeMita wrote on X. “Interested to see how the edit turns out! And spoiler alert: Everybody does not hate Caitlin Clark. Including me :).”
Vice TV president Pete Gaffney said the series is designed to examine how athletes become part of larger cultural conversations rather than simply determine whether they deserve the criticism directed at them.
“Everybody Hates” will begin with Paul before moving to Rodgers, Clark, Vick, Ronaldo and Mayweather. Select episodes will also be released on Vice TV’s YouTube channel the day after their television premieres.
For Clark, the episode will arrive after the WNBA season, with the Fever currently focused on the postseason. Indiana improved to 28-15 with a 96-77 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, leaving the team fifth in the league with one regular-season game remaining.
The reaction to Clark’s inclusion shows that, whether fans agree with the premise or not, the Fever star remains a major part of the broader conversation surrounding the WNBA.