By Alexa Hernandez | Social Media Editor
If your social media is anything like mine, your ‘For You’ page has probably been filled with women’s basketball content as of late, specifically highlighting Caitlin Clark. While she is certainly one of the greatest basketball players I have ever watched, she does not stand alone. Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Cameron Brink are among the most talented players in the league of women’s college basketball.
All these women have something in common: They are amazing players and hard workers all at the same time. It only makes sense to celebrate them all equally, right? That certainly hasn’t been the case.
Earlier this week, Diana Taurasi, a player for the Phoenix Mercury WNBA basketball team, spoke about Caitlin Clark in an interview saying, “Reality is coming. You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
From the outside looking in, this feels like an uncomfortable warning for Clark — one that, in my opinion, is uncalled for. If you read any article about Clark in the media, 95% of them praise her for her skill and the fame she’s brought to women’s basketball. It doesn’t make sense to criticize a 22-year-old in efforts to “warn” her before she enters the professional playing world.
When women’s sports have had significantly fewer viewers, supporters and attention than men’s sports, it is disappointing to see a popular WNBA player bring down another woman in order to prepare her.
This is not just a Clark issue; this happens with various other players. The internet has created the narrative that Reese hates Clark. Both Reese and Clark have spoken out in several interviews and said they do not have any bad blood between them.
Why is the world so obsessed with pitting successful women against each other? I understand that basketball is a competitive sport and only a select few can be the GOATs, but it’s cruel to create narratives to negatively compare successful women. It’s bad enough that there are certain spaces where women feel unwelcome, and to see a woman creating that blockage is disheartening.
After the University of Iowa’s devastating loss to the University of South Carolina on Sunday, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley had an incredible message for Clark saying, “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport, and it is not going to stop here on a collegiate tour. When she’s the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well.”
This is what it means to uplift women in all aspects and give credit where it’s due. Staley recognized the talents of Clark and thanked her for bringing more people to women’s basketball, while celebrating her own win.
The first step to ensuring there is a space for women is to not tear each other down. As a woman myself, I should be striving to uplift women at any opportunity I can and influencing others to do the same.
So ladies (and gentlemen), take a page out of Staley’s book and join me in my attempt to reestablish what it means for women to support one another — because if we, as women, don’t do that for ourselves, who will?
