The battle between good and evil. Nationalism versus wokeness. Demonization contrasted with diversity, equity and inclusion.
Before luminous WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese entered the professional ranks this past April when they were drafted with the No. 1 and No. 7 overall picks by the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky respectively, they were weaponized by competing factions engaged in a bitter and pernicious culture war being raged in this country.
The ideological deployment of Clark and Reese, neither of whom was a willing armament, began when Clark was rewriting collegiate records books playing for the University of Iowa, ultimately setting a new NCAA Division I scoring record for women and men with 3,951 points. During her celebrated journey, Clark developed a massive following and fan base and became a ubiquitous national figure.
Reese, who was well-known among women’s basketball enthusiasts since her days as a high school All-American, emerged as one of the best players in the college ranks leading LSU to the 2023 NCAA championship, culminating with a 102-85 win over Clark and the Hawkeyes in the title game.
The concurrent perception and reality of the duality between Clark and Reese is stark, amplified by culture wars combatants. The 6’0” Clark, white, 22-years-old, born and raised in hardworking Des Moines, Iowa, and hardworking Middle America. Wholesome, confident but modest, non-threatening to deeply rooted societal norms. An immaculate role model for young girls.
Reese, 6’3”, also 22, Black. Reared in Baltimore, long viewed as one of the most violent cities in the country. Brash, unapologetic, antagonizing. A symbol of the self-promoting, self-indulgent modern day athlete that assaults the conservative values and sensibilities of Americans that proudly fly the Stars and Stripes in front of their homes, schools and businesses.
There are truths and falsehoods embedded in the profiles and characterizations of both women. Their commonalities may be even more pronounced but conveniently omitted from countless narratives that permeate the widespread sports and social discussions and commentary centering around them.
Clark is a sublime player but not a uniquely singular talent on the court. There have been and are better players in the sport. This is an objective assessment in my now four decades of covering women’s basketball. However, her significance to the dramatic growth of the popularity of the women’s game is unprecedented. She is a force multiplier.
But the most innocuous criticisms of Clark’s performance or abilities are often duplicitously characterized as reverse racism by agenda-driven voices. Note, Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart, two of the greatest players in women’s basketball history, are white and beloved by their peers. The premise that Black players have animosity towards Clark because she is white is nonsensical.
The more overt radical right wing elements explicitly argue that her fellow WNBA players, many who classify themselves as non-heterosexual, are jealous of Clark’s exceeding fame and resentful of her traditional lifestyle. They point to the physical manner in which she is handled on the court by the opposition despite the high physicality of the WNBA in general.
Meanwhile the same commentators paint Reese as the anti-Clark, furiously in the public square pitting one against the other. Clark and Reese have not taken the bait. They have met expectations as the two best rookies in the league and like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson many years before them, forged a healthy rivalry that is good for the game.