Caitlin Clark Speaks Out Against ‘Trolls’ Resorting to ‘Hateful, Threatening’ Acts
Over the course of the WNBA season, many players across the league have dealt with vitriol and hatred inside arenas and on social media. On Friday, Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark put the “trolls” on blast, denouncing their ridiculous behavior.
Clark, who brought a new fanbase into the WNBA, has been the center of attention across the league this season. She had a remarkable rookie campaign, but many of her “fans” were also spewing hatred throughout the year.
When asked about the situation on Friday, Clark providing a strongly-worded response.
“It’s definitely upsetting,” Clark said in a video posted by James Boyd of The Athletic. “Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats. Those aren’t fans, those are trolls. It’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA.
I asked #IndianaFever star Caitlin Clark about the racism and other hate #WNBA players have endured this season:
“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats. Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls. …” pic.twitter.com/3rgABBFMRZ
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 27, 2024
The question to Clark comes a few days after Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas called out Indiana Fever fans for being the worst in the league. She detailed some of the hatred she heard inside the arenas throughout the 2024 WNBA season.
“Honestly, it’s been a lot of nonsense. I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase,” Thomas said. “It’s unacceptable, honestly. There’s no place for it.
“We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing. I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media. There’s no place for it. Basketball is heading in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names.”
Although there has been a lot of negativity in the league this season, there have been a lot of fans celebrating and supporting the WNBA the right way. Clark wanted to make sure those individuals got a mention.
“There are a lot of really good fans. Whether they’ve been fans for 20-plus years or whether they’re new fans in our league. I think continuing to uplift this league in a very positive light is the best thing we can do,” Clark said.
“There are so many great players, there are so many great teams, there are so many positive storylines that can be celebrated and written. For me, that’s why I became a fan of this league. These people were my idols. I grew up wanting to be like them.”
