CC is elite - her fans are not

Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA is an undeniable net positive. She’s an elite scorer with deep shooting range, a fierce competitor, and a legitimate star capable of drawing new audiences to the league. She doesn’t suck—not even close. But the growing problem isn’t Clark herself; it’s the behavior of a certain segment of her fan base, and the way some media outlets have chosen to cover her.

Instead of embracing Clark as part of the league’s rich tapestry of talent, certain fans elevate her at the expense of everyone else. They flood social media feeds with disrespect toward established stars, diminish accomplishments of all-time greats, and reduce nuanced basketball conversations to endless comparisons with Clark as the only measuring stick. It’s reached the point where multiple WNBA players—athletes with years of excellence—have deleted or heavily reduced their social media presence simply to avoid the toxic fallout from Clark-related discourse.

The sports media ecosystem hasn’t helped. Certain outlets seem incapable of going a single day without a Clark headline. This obsessive coverage may drive clicks, but it comes at the cost of perspective. The WNBA has a proud history filled with legends—Sheryl Swoopes, Tamika Catchings, Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore—players who built the league brick by brick. Constantly framing Clark as the centerpiece of every story risks erasing or undervaluing that history for newer fans.

Caitlin Clark is a great player who has earned her place in the league. But true respect for the game means appreciating allof its stars—past and present. If her fans and certain media outlets can shift from idolization to integration, the WNBA’s growth will be built on respect, not division. Until then, the noise around her will keep drowning out the bigger story: the greatness of the league itself.