Has Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA brought more than just positive attention to the league? That was the question Ryan Clark asked Monica McNutt during a recent discussion, with the two former ESPN analysts examining the attention Clark has generated and the racial tensions that have accompanied it. 

McNutt acknowledged the growth and excitement surrounding the Fever star, but her comments about Clark’s upbringing and her response to the controversy did not sit well with sports journalist John Root.

“ESPN’s Monica McNutt claims Caitlin Clark fans are racist, Clark is ignorant to racism because she grew up in the Midwest, & praises Clark for claiming she has ‘white privilege.’ Ryan Clark claims Clark has brought ‘negativity.’ These people are insufferable,” Root wrote on X, reacting to the pair’s remarks.

McNutt and Clark made those comments on The Pivot podcast. And in the clip Root was reacting to, Ryan Clark had suggested that Caitlin Clark had brought negativity to the league alongside the growth she has driven. 

“How do you balance the positive effect that Caitlin Clark has had on the coverage of the league and the negativity that it has also brought to the WNBA?” he asked McNutt.

And, of course, McNutt, in answering that question, leaned into that negativity narrative.

“I think you can absolutely celebrate the basketball and the growth,” she said. “And then you just kind of got to be honest about the rest of it.”

For McNutt, one piece of evidence that backs up that argument was the Indiana Fever’s exit interviews at the end of the season. There, Kelsey Mitchell highlighted the volume of hateful private messages and criticism she receives simply for being an Indiana Fever player. Mitchell also noted that because of the massive spotlight on Clark, her teammates face unexpected flak and negativity just by association.

Caitlin Clark, in her own exit interview, explicitly condemned toxic fan behavior in response to Mitchell’s comments. She made it clear that such behavior was not something she stood for, a reaction that McNutt made sure to praise. However, McNutt also believed Clark had not spoken out publicly as often or as emphatically as she would have wanted her to, or as she herself would have if she were in Clark’s shoes.

“When you talk about the positivity, yes, the eyeballs are fantastic. The energy is great when you go to arenas. All of that is fantastic. But I think for me, there is no way that someone would use my likeness to support causes that I am against,” McNutt said.

McNutt also attributed what she considered Clark’s insufficient response to her upbringing, suggesting that, unlike herself, Clark grew up in an environment where the realities of racism were not as pressing.

“I am turning 37, a Black woman that grew up in Prince George’s County, very aware of who I am in the skin I show up in and the issues thereof. I can hold a little bit of grace for the Midwest. Those issues were not as pressing to me. It’s gonna take you a minute to find your voice on topics that can be deemed complicated if you are not steeped in them, right?” she added.

Clark’s impact on the WNBA is undeniable. She has fundamentally altered the financial landscape, popularity, and media coverage of women’s professional basketball. However, like Ryan Clark and McNutt, many believe that her presence has also brought the toxicity players like Mitchell have described.

And, of course, Caitlin Clark has spoken out against this behavior multiple times, even before her latest exit interview. In 2024, she said people should not use her name to push hateful agendas; in July, she condemned the harassment aimed at Alyssa Thomas; and in October, she reiterated that racist rhetoric is not something she stands for. And still the problem persists.

Clark’s influence on the WNBA is undeniable, but so is the debate over the attention surrounding her. And despite her repeated calls against hateful behavior, the toxicity McNutt highlighted remains a problem the league has yet to shake.