Both Time and Caitlin Clark are playing defense after the magazine named the WNBA superstar its "Athlete of the Year" earlier this week. Sheila Johnson, owner of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, criticized the magazine for bestowing the honor on the Indiana Fever's 22-year-old phenom, CNN reports.
"When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings," said Johnson, who co-founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) and also co-owns the NHL's Washington Capitals and the NBA's Washington Wizards. Although Clark shattered multiple league records during her much-watched rookie season, Johnson said the media should pay more attention to all of the WNBA instead of shining a spotlight on Clark. "This year, something clicked with the WNBA, and it's because of the draft of players that came in. It's not just Caitlin Clark, it's [Angel] Reese [as well]. We have so much talent out there."
Meanwhile, Clark is facing additional backlash from MAGA world for comments she made in the article about Black players paving the way for her success. "I want to say I've earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege," she said. However, as MSNBC reports, this irked the likes of right-wing commentator Megyn Kelly, who accused Clark of "apologizing for being white."
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But Clark, who was near-unanimously voted the WNBA's "Rookie of the Year" and named to the All-WNBA first team on her way to helping the league smash attendance and viewership records, said she's brushing off the criticism. "I think my best skill is just blocking out the noise," she said during a Time event on Wednesday. "The way things are going and where the WNBA is going, you want that attention, and you embrace it, and that's what makes this so fun." (More Caitlin Clark stories.)
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