Cheryl Miller Finally Admits The Obvious: Caitlin Clark Is 'Hated' Because She's White
Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller admits what everyone around the WNBA knows about the hate toward Caitlin Clark, but won't say: it is about her skin color.
"I’m gonna be honest, because it needs to be said. I can relate to that young lady," Miller said of Clark this week on the DraftKings Network. "I felt for her. I know what it’s like to be hated. I know what it’s like to be a black woman and hated because of my color."
Watch the full segment below:
It was clear from the moment Clark entered the WNBA that she had a target on her back because she is a straight white woman in a league of mostly black lesbians.
From day one, black players in the WNBA targeted Clark with hard fouls and smears on social media. Most of those social posts alluded to Clark's supposed "privilege" as a white woman.
Media commentators made it worse. Pundits like Sunny Hostin, Jemele Hill, Ros Gold, Monica McNutt, Stephen A. Smith, and Elle Duncan claimed Clark's popularity is tied to her skin color. Great white hope-ism, if you will.
There was a narrative that fans used their support for Caitlin Clark as a vehicle to harass black women. Jemele Hill argued this point frequently. It was, of course, a lie. All of it.
Cheryl Miller and Caitlin Clark, via Getty.
As Miller acknowledges, many black players, commentators, and fans "hate" Clark because of her skin color. Not the other way around. Seeing a little white girl from Iowa star in a historically black league intimidates them.
This exact same phenomenon, albeit on a smaller scale, is happening in the NBA. Former players like Kendrick Perkins and Gilbert Arenas are openly territorial toward the success of Nikola Jokic. Arenas recently admitted black players view the NBA as "their league."
To better understand this mindset, read the words of activist and social media influencer Dr. Umar Johnson. Johnson argued last year that Eminem's skin color should disqualify him from the conversation about the greatest rappers of all time.
"No non-African can ever be the best of anything African. It's an insult to the ancestors. It's an insult to the race, and it's an insult to every black person," Johnson claimed. "Eminem has all the privileges of a white male and all the privileges of being in the hip-hop community, so we got to be careful about letting non-Africans into our community."
If Dr. Johnson's comments read racist to you, it's because they are. His comments are as racist as the treatment Clark faces from certain black players and commentators.
Yet until Cheryl Miller this week, hardly anyone in the mainstream conversation was willing to admit that. The others have sat there and pretended as if racism is not the reason for that animosity toward Clark.
In actuality, the "privileged" ones are Angel Reese and Dijonai Carrington, who have received a pass for their nasty behavior toward Clark because the industry is afraid to condemn the actions of bitter black female athletes.
Caitlin Clark has almost single-handedly put the WNBA on the map. Her fame has, in return, made other WNBA players more famous. Reese would not have a commercial deal with McDonald's were it not for her launching a one-sided feud with Clark.
The WNBA community should be thankful for Clark's contributions. However, it appears that there are players within the community who would rather see the league crumble than a white girl star.
Good on Cheryl Miller for stating the obvious. Stating the obvious takes courage in this climate. Let's just hope Miller doesn't backtrack when the race bullies and mean girls caterwaul after hearing her empathize with Clark.