Coming off an outstanding rookie season in the WNBA, Caitin Clark has been named “Athlete of the Year” by TIME. Washington Mystics president Sheila Johnson took exception to that decision, saying it’s unfair to give Clark all the credit for the WNBA’s rise in popularity.
In an interview with CNN, Johnson said that all the focus on Clark has taken the spotlight away from other elite players across the league.
“We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don’t think we can just pin it on one player,” Johnson said.
When asked why Clark was getting most of the credit for the WNBA’s growth in 2024, Johnson pointed to the way the media portrays race in sports. Johnson asserted that non-white players who are just as good as Clark have gotten far less acclaim.
“Well, I want to be very diplomatic about this,” Johnson said. “It’s just the structure of the way media plays out race. I’m gonna be very honest. I feel very bad because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have. Right now, it is time for that to happen.”
Johnson went on to say that TIME could have included the entire WNBA on its cover. She added that…
