ESPN panelist fears that Caitlin Clark will be used as an ‘avatar’ so that some can attack black WNBA players

David Dennis Jr., a writer for ESPN’s Andscape, expressed concern Monday for those who were upset that Team USA left Caitlin Clark off the Olympic roster.
Dennis was on “Around the Horn” and worried that black WNBA players would be attacked after the Clark drama.
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Indiana Fever’s No. 22 Caitlin Clark watches during the game against the Connecticut Sun on June 10, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I talked about how Caitlin Clark has become an avatar for people to express their disdain for black women and how a group of so-called patriots are going to treat Team USA this summer,” he wrote on X.
Dennis said in his clip on the show that he also didn’t think the Indiana Fever star was one of the best players available in the pool to choose from.
“There can be a healthy sports debate about whether Caitlin Clark should make this team. I think she’s not one of the top 15 players available,” Dennis said, adding that Arike Ogunbowale could be added ahead of Clark if a player has to. abandon.
“The problem here is, and what worries me in the future, is that these marginal people who exist, who are in real life, not just Internet trolls, politicians, pundits and people like that, who are using Caitlin Clark as avatar to lash out at people they despise, primarily the makeup of the WNBA, black women, etc.
DIJONAI CARINGTON MAKES FUN OF CAITLIN CLARK AFTER MISSING HER, SHE IS BOOSTED AT HOME

Caitlin Clark, #172 of West Des Moines, Iowa, participates in tryouts for the 2018 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Cup team at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“And they’re using it to go against the US team. What’s going to happen… the big tragedy here is the way they’re going to be treated by those people this summer. We’re supposed to support the United States and the American teams in the Olympics. I want to see that on this team, even if Caitlin Clark is not on that team.”
Dennis believed that “the most reasonable people in basketball agree” that Clark can wait until the 2028 Games.
Clark’s reported snub on the Olympic roster caused a storm over the weekend.
Clark was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft in April after leading Iowa to back-to-back national championship games and setting the all-time scoring mark in college basketball. She was unable to attend national training camp in Cleveland after being invited because Iowa was in the Final Four.
Over the past two years, Clark has attracted millions of new fans to the game. The Iowa-South Carolina national championship was the most-watched women’s college basketball game. Her games with the Fever are among the highest ratings in the WNBA this season, not to mention the fan support she has received at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and elsewhere.
WNBA veterans Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner will reportedly be on the roster along with Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper will be first-time Olympians.
Clark took the high road when asked if he had been left off the list.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team. I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way: being on the team or not,” she said. she said she, through The Athletic. “So I’m excited for them. I’m going to root for them to win gold. I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics. So, yeah, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Caitlin Clark, #172 of West Des Moines, Iowa, listens to speakers while participating in tryouts for the 2018 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Cup team at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs , Colorado. (Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“There’s no disappointment. I think it just gives you something to work for. It’s a dream. Hopefully, one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little bit more motivation. You remember it. And hopefully, in four years, when four years. If he comes back, I can be there.”
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