Caitlin Clark, a once-in-a-generation athlete, has hardly been out of the news all year. As Fox News pointed out in June, Clark has been under the microscope her entire career. She has been bullied, belittled, and demeaned — and yet she hasn’t let all the negativity affect her playing or her love of basketball.

It does seem, however, that the narrative pounded into her from those around her has finally come home to roost. Clark was named Athlete of the Year by TIME Magazine; in the accompanying article, Clark talked about the great WNBA players she looked up to. But instead of leaving it at that, she also decided that she needed to say this:

I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.

Why does she feel the need to say this? Because, from the get-go, that’s been the feedback she’s gotten from women in the WNBA — that feedback being that the only reason more people are watching the WNBA is because of Caitlin Clark, a white girl. Perhaps there is a kernel of truth to this claim. After all, Clark is a novelty in a sport dominated by black women. However, for those around her to level the charge that the sensationalism surrounding her is solely because of her racial makeup is ludicrous, not to mention racist.

According to that very same TIME article:

In February, [Clark] set the new NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball scoring record. A few weeks later, she broke Hall of Famer Pete Maravich’s mark, making her the top scorer overall. Her college championship game between Iowa and South Carolina averaged 18.9 million viewers, becoming the second most watched women’s sporting event, outside the Olympic Games, in the history of U.S. television, with American viewership outdrawing that of each game of the 2024 NBA Finals and World Series. And for the first time ever, more people tuned in for the women’s NCAA championship than the men’s.

As a Chicago native, I remember quite well what a certain black superstar by the name of Michael Jordan did for the NBA. His dominance on the court engendered new fans and made the NBA’s popularity what it is today — on par with what Clark is doing for the WNBA now. As it turns out, people don’t really care too much about skin color. What they do care about is seeing people play a sport really well.

While it is understandable and commendable that Clark wants to be humble and acknowledge those who have paved the way, there is no good reason she should have demeaned herself by bringing critical race theory hogwash into it. She has fallen for a racist narrative. She has earned every accomplishment. And it is because of her outstanding athletic prowess on the court that people are now excited to watch the WNBA.

Riley Gaines, a fierce defender of women’s sports, had this to say in response to Clark’s white-privilege comment: “I’ve yet to hear a sensible answer as to what privileges white people have over black people in the year 2024.”

I’ve yet to hear a sensible answer as to what privileges white people have over black people in the year 2024 https://t.co/oRWVm3fNwK

— Riley Gaines (@RileyGaines) December 11, 2024

There is also speculation that Clark may have phrased her comment in such a way as to placate those who have accused her of being silent about her privilege or who have used her as a punching bag for their own racist tendencies. Bowing to these people, however, won’t make them stop. It’ll just make the next round of attacks different. Now that she’s given bullies validation, she’ll be blasted anytime she messes up or strays from it.

I do hope that Caitlin Clark hears those of us trying to assure her that she is amazing, that she did it all by herself, and that she doesn’t need to do a “WNBA Land Acknowledgement.” She doesn’t have to conform to a stupid narrative and make herself less so that other WNBA players and trolls can feel superior and better about themselves.