Media Predictably Refuses To Ask Caitlin Clark About Transgender Athletes

OutKick sparked a national debate when we asked South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley about the inclusion of transgender women (biological men) in women's basketball. But no one is asking the biggest star in women's sports, Caitlin Clark, who is currently in New York City doing a decent share of media.

OutKick faced a lot of backlash for asking Staley that question in the first place. The left-wing media gave a myriad of reasons why we shouldn't have done that. They're wrong, but that's their opinion. 

What they cannot deny is that people were very interested in hearing what Dawn Staley said on the matter. The video, posted to my X timeline, garnered nearly 28 million views. 

That doesn't even count the people who didn't use my video, since it was a press conference and there were people who did not want us to get credit. 

South Carolina women's head basketball coach Dawn Staley takes questions from the media, including a question from OutKick about transgender participation in women's sports, prior to her team's National Championship victory over Iowa and Caitlin Clark.

(USA Today Network)

What should that tell you? People care about the answer to that question, especially from stars in women's sports. Dawn Staley is the biggest name in women's basketball coaching right now. Her opinion on the matter does have an impact, whether she dictates policies or not. 

So, too, would the answer from Caitlin Clark, the biggest star in women's sports by a wide margin. But the media refuses to ask her about it. Why? 

For various reasons. 

The media doesn't want to lose access to Caitlin Clark, other star female athletes.

This is the easiest one to prove. After OutKick asked Staley about transgender athletes, the WNBA refused to give us a media credential for Monday night's draft. The WNBA claims we missed its deadline by less than one day and simply does not have room in a 3000 person venue for even one more journalist. You can decide if that sounds credible.

So, if you ask about biological men playing women's sports during one of the biggest weekends in American women's sports history, you don't get to cover the sport anymore. 

There are plenty of reasons the WNBA's decision is a bad one. First, the OutKick audience represents a group that generally doesn't watch a lot of women's basketball. But many of those people have tuned in this season because of all the storylines. 

By denying OutKick a credential, the WNBA is sending a clear message: we don't want your fans. That seems like a bad business model, but what do I know? 

They're also sending a message to the rest of the media: no hard questions around here. Toss up softballs and let Clark hit them out of the park. 

The women's sports media wants to protect Caitlin Clark at all costs. 

Clark has drawn unprecedented attention to women's basketball and the "media" (which acts more as a PR firm than actual journalists) doesn't want to disrupt that. 

Simply asking Clark about biological male participation in women's sports puts her in a position to upset people. Either she says she's for it, in which case the majority of sports fans (who overwhelmingly don't want biological men in women's sports) will turn on her. 

Caitlin Clark is the biggest star in women's sports and people want to know her thoughts on including transgender women (biological males) in women's sports.

(USA Today Network)

The left-wing media would love that answer, just like they did when Dawn Staley said it, but they know how uncommon that opinion is among average Americans. 

RELATED: Former Women's College Coaches React To Dawn Staley: 'Terribly Disappointed'

If Clark comes out against it, sports fans would applaud. But then the media that protects her would have to criticize her. They don't want to do that. 

Finally, she could evade the question like her head coach at Iowa, Lisa Bluder, did. By the way, OutKick has reached out to Iowa to see if Bluder will give an answer now that the season is over. They said to reach back out after she returns from supporting Clark at the WNBA Draft in New York, which we will.

If Clark avoids the question, that won't satisfy anyone and isn't an answer. Plus, the "reporters" would be forced to follow up, like OutKick did with Bluder. They don't want to do that, either. 

The media likes to pretend that transgender athletes in women's sports isn't a real issue. 

They're very wrong about this, but some do believe it. Among the criticisms OutKick received about the Staley question was that the number of transgender women (biological men) competing in Division I sports is too small to matter. 

READ: Reaction To Asking Dawn Staley The 'Trans' Question Lays Bare What's Wrong With Sports Media

That's fascinating since those same people love to use outlier examples and small sample sizes to make other points. They regularly trot out a list of "horribles" on issues they champion, rarely citing that the horrible thing that happened is a very rare instance the vast majority of times.  

They argue, "One is too many!" But dozens of men identifying as women – depriving females of competitive achievements – are somehow too few to care?

Additionally, it's not just about the number of athletes. What about all the teammates on the biological male's team? What about their opponents? The coaches? 

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male (formerly William Thomas), stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists (L-R) Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship on March 17, 2022.

(Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

How about the athletic trainers that, in addition to doing their normal jobs, now have to account for athletes that are taking life-altering medications like hormone blockers? This issue doesn't just affect the athlete. It affects everyone around them. 

Sure, biological men haven't yet completely invaded Division I women's sports, but that's because this issue is relatively new. 

Just this weekend, a biological male came in second place in two track & field events at a girls' high school track meet in Oregon. The athlete would have finished 61st and 46th in the boys' division, but took a silver medal away from the girls instead. 

That particular athlete is in 10th grade. What happens when this kid reaches college? Free-ride athletic scholarship for women's track & field? Rest assured, more of this is coming, particularly if we don't put a stop to it now. 

Caitlin Clark could do a lot for women's sports by saying that they are for women only. 

All of this brings us back to Caitlin Clark and the refusal to ask her a simple question. Sure, many media members will claim that prior to the WNBA Draft is "not the right time." Again, they're wrong about that, but it's their opinion. 

I personally sat through five Caitlin Clark press conferences starting from the Sweet 16 all the way through the National Championship. The media basically asks her the same five questions over and over again. And then she gives the same answers over and over again. 

"We should celebrate Clark's entry into the WNBA." I've got news for you, the media has been celebrating Clark for her entire career. And that's OK! She's a phenomenal player who brings incredible attention to her sport. 

Caitlin Clark, likely #1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night, is doing a press tour and no one will ask her about transgender athletes.

(USA Today Network)

But that means she should be immune from answering difficult questions? We don't hold male athletes to that standard. The media has no problem asking Aaron Rodgers about his beliefs and then ridiculing him for them. 

They love to ask LeBron James questions about things that aren't even related to basketball. Heck, he asks them to do that! At least asking Clark about transgender athletes in women's sports is an actual issue related to women's basketball. 

But none of the media members have asked Clark about it and they won't. Instead, they parade out the same tired old questions about basically nothing, or questions she's already answered in some form dozens of times. 

The media simply refuses to do its job when it comes to this issue and that's a sad commentary on the state of American journalism.