Following a record-breaking rookie season in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year. While the Indiana Fever star celebrated another milestone, Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson expressed concerns about the decision, suggesting that honoring Clark alone was unfair to the rest of the league.
Johnson argued that the entire WNBA should have been recognized for its growth and success.
“Why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on the cover and said, ‘The WNBA is the League of the Year,’ because of all the talent that we have,” Johnson said in an interview with CNN. “When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings.”
Johnson emphasized that many talented players in the WNBA remain underappreciated.
“We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don’t think we can just pin it on one player,” she added. “… I want to be very diplomatic about this. It’s just the structure of the way media plays out race. I’m gonna be very honest. I feel very bad because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have. Right now, it is time for that to happen.”
The role of race in Clark’s rising popularity has been a subject of discussion before. Las Vegas Aces star and 2024 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson previously addressed the issue, noting how Clark’s race might have contributed to the league’s growing popularity despite the WNBA’s long history.
“I think it’s a huge thing. I think a lot of people may say it’s not about Black and white, but to me, it is,” Wilson said earlier this year when discussing the race element in Clark’s popularity. “It really is because you can be top notch at what you are as a Black woman, but yet maybe that’s something that people don’t want to see.
“They don’t see it as marketable, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work. It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug. That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”
Clark herself acknowledged the racial dynamics in her TIME interview, calling for more visibility and support for Black players in the WNBA.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark said. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
“The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important,” she continued. “I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark’s influence on the WNBA is undeniable. The 2024 season — playoffs included — averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 155% increase from 2023, making it the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms, according to the network.
The Connecticut Sun sold out their home opener against the Fever, marking their first home-game sellout since 2003. Fever exhibition games were also sold out.
