Caitlin Clark’s first season in the WNBA has been historic, even though her team, Indiana Fever, was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Connecticut Sun. Clark, the No. 1 pick in the last draft, not only lived up to expectations, but exceeded them. His numbers of 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game cemented his impact on the league. Playoff viewership also broke records, reaching 3.4 million viewers. In addition, Clark is instrumental in increasing stadium attendance, with a 48% increase in viewership compared to the previous season and having tripled the value of the competition’s media rights to $200 million. However, the price Clark and the WNBA have had to pay is very high, with racist insults becoming dangerously ‘normalised’.

Clark has broken records as a rookie in points, three-pointers and assists, with 337 in total, and has reached an all-time high in points produced, adding both her scoring and assists, with 1,520. This performance makes her the favourite for Rookie of the Year. However, the rise of the WNBA into the mainstream has also brought with it negative aspects, such as the rise of name-calling and verbal abuse on social media, exacerbating racial and gender tensions.

DANGEROUS ‘NORMALISATION’

The league’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, was criticised for downplaying these issues as fuelling rivalry in the league. Dangerously, she has normalised them, leaving the way open for future fans to continue this dangerous spiral. Comparisons between Clark and Angel Reese have been interpreted as reflections of the racial divide in basketball, similar to the historic rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the NBA.

In Europe, a similar case has taken hold in Spain with the footballer Vinicius, the latest example being this Sunday’s match between Real Madrid (his team) at home to Atlético de Madrid. LaLiga, unlike the WNBA, has acted publicly to try to stop this degeneration of the sport.