Caitlin Clark’s marketability as a WNBA player is partly due to her race and sexuality, according to former ESPN host Jemele Hill. The Indiana Fever star set scoring records in college and was the top pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Clark’s success has garnered massive media attention, with large audiences and a $28 million Nike sponsorship deal. The LA Times noted that her success “draws questions of race and equity” in a league where 70% of players are Black and nearly a third are LGBTQ.
“We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity,” the Atlantic writer Jemele Hill told the LA Times.
“While so many people are happy for Caitlin’s success – including the players; this has had such an enormous impact on the game – there is a part of it that is a little problematic because of what it says about the worth and the marketability of the players who are already there.”
