The tip of the yr implies that it’s time for Caitlin Clark to gather a complete new spherical of awards and honors. A type of is being named TIME Athlete of the Year, which got here with the revelation that she acquired one other honor—an invite to attend a Kansas City Chiefs game with Taylor Swift.
On Friday morning Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson joined CNN to debate Clark and the state of the league. Johnson informed anchor Amanda Davies that Clark is receiving an excessive amount of consideration for her function within the league’s ascension and thought the complete league ought to have been on the quilt of TIME.
— CNN Sports activities (@cnnsport) December 13, 2024
“It has taken the WNBA virtually 28 years to get to the purpose the place we are actually and this yr one thing clicked with the WNBA and it is due to the draft of the gamers that got here in,” stated Johnson. “It is simply not Caitlin Clark. It is Reese. We’ve got a lot expertise on the market that has been unrecognized. And I do not suppose we are able to pin it on only one participant.”
“I need to be very diplomatic about this,” Johnson continued. “It is simply the construction of the best way media performs out race. I will be very sincere. I really feel actually dangerous as a result of I’ve seen so many gamers of shade which are equally as proficient they usually by no means obtained the popularity they need to have. And I feel that proper now it’s time for that to occur.”
“So final night time TIME Journal with Caitlin Clark is called Athlete of the Yr,” stated Johnson. “Why could not they’ve put the entire WNBA on that cowl and stated the WNBA is the league of the yr? Due to all of the expertise that we now have. As a result of once we simply preserve singling out one participant it creates onerous emotions. And so now you are beginning to hear tales of racism inside the WNBA and I do not need to hear that. We’ve got obtained to function and turn into stronger as a league and respect everyone that is taking part in and their abilities.”
Johnson, the co-founder of BET, is now the vice chairman and accomplice of Monumental Sports activities & Leisure which operates the Mystics, Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.
