Caitlin Clark has spent several years becoming one of the most recognizable and widely debated figures in women’s basketball, and now, with a new documentary placing her in unexpected company, fans are not pleased that the Indiana Fever star is placed next to figures with serious allegations.
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In an exclusive report from Variety, Vice TV announced a new documentary series profiling divisive athletes, with Clark among them. Variety summarized the report in a post on X.
“Vice TV has greenlit the documentary series “Everybody Hates,” with each episode profiling the public’s response to a different athlete,” the post read.
“The premiere episode will focus on Jake Paul. Later episodes will take on NFL stars like Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick, as well as WNBA star Caitlin Clark, international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.”
Clark’s episode, the third one, airs November 10 and features sports influencer Rachel DeMita, Atlantic journalist Jemele Hill, and other unnamed guests.
DeMita actually ended up giving some insight into the episode focusing on Clark following the announcement of the series, and hinted at her opinion on Clark.
“I sat down for a three-hour interview for this docuseries last year (title hadn’t yet been revealed),” she wrote on X.
“Interested to see how the edit turns out! And spoiler alert: Everybody does not hate Caitlin Clark. Including me :).”
The series is set to release on October 27 with the Jake Paul episode, then Aaron Rodgers on November 3, before the Clark episode. Then, the series concludes with Michael Vick on November 17, Cristiano Ronaldo on November 24, and Floyd Mayweather on December 1.
According to Vice TV president Pete Gaffney, the series will focus not just on whether athletes are hated, but on how they reach that position in the current cultural ecosystem.
“The biggest stories in sports are often the ones everyone thinks they already know,” he said, per Variety.
“Today’s athletes are judged in real time, often before the full story is understood. ‘Everybody Hates’ looks beyond the headlines to examine how these figures became symbols of much larger cultural conversations. That’s exactly the kind of storytelling Vice has always done best.”
However, fans were not pleased with Clark’s inclusion,
Fans Question Caitlin Clark’s Place Among “Everybody Hates” Lineup
Fans quickly flooded the comments after the show was announced by Vice TV, making it clear that Clark’s position stood out as unusual among the other figures who were significantly more controversial. In particular, many focused on the various allegations that figures like Mayweather and Paul have received in the past.
“CAITLINS NAME NEXT TO THESE RAPISTS AND ABUSERS???!!?? Oh lord,” one comment read.
Another fan brought attention to this fact by listing out several controversies each athlete was known for, adding a sarcastic undertone to Clark’s inclusion.
“Two accused rapists, a domestic abuser, an anti-vaxxer, an animal abuser, and someone who scored too many points against South Carolina one time,” their post read.
“All the classic villains.”
One user pointed out that even within the sphere of women’s basketball, there are several other players with ‘villainous’ reputations, highlighting Angel Reese as someone who could have replaced Clark in the lineup.
“Besides the fact that the lineup is filled with horrible disgusting immoral people (bar CC),” they wrote.
“Angel Reese has a bigger case for this…I’ve never seen a W player in history treated the way she’s been treated by media and online in general.”
One fan even questioned if the series should focus on Jake Paul at all, considering that he is better known for his YouTube entertainment career than his short-lived boxing career.
“Why are they starting with Jake Paul if it’s supposed to be about athletes?” the fan commented.
Finally, one fan cut to the heart of the issue, noting that Clark simply did not belong next to the other figures ‘Everybody Hates’ is set to feature.
“I get the point of the show but putting Caitlin clark alongside literal criminals is kinda crazy.”
With the series launch just weeks away, the fan reaction reveals deep disagreement over Clark’s placement alongside athletes facing serious allegations