Caitlin Clark being 'White girl from the middle of America' helped connect with young fans, ESPN pundit says

Caitlin Clark burst onto the nationalist country implicit the past 2 years acknowledgment to her record-setting assemblage career, her All-Star rookie play and the changeless speech astir wherefore she is popular.

ESPN broadcaster Monica McNutt suggested that Clark being from the Midwest helped her link with young girls arsenic she spoke to BBC astir however women’s sports tin beryllium viable successful the agelong term.

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ESPN expert Monica McNutt connected the reddish carpet earlier the All-Star Celebrity Game astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis connected Feb. 16, 2024. (Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)

"Two things – I deliberation it has to amusement up successful our storytelling and it has to beryllium encouraged by our families," McNutt said. "And truthful covering the WNBA this past season, Caitlin Clark's rookie year, for each of the speech that surrounded her, immoderate which was just and immoderate which wasn't, the 1 happening that I cannot contradict is the magnitude of small girls that were showing up to travel her. Same happening for Angel Reese, erstwhile I had a accidental to screen their games.

"But I deliberation Caitlin represented, and again, immoderate of this to maine astir apt is not just to her, due to the fact that it was not thing that she said oregon was genuinely based connected her personality, but she was a White miss from the mediate of America. And truthful she represented a full batch to a batch of people, whether that is genuinely what she prescribed to oregon not.

CAITLIN CLARK'S WNBA IMPACT LEAVES LEGEND 'GRATEFUL'

Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, poses for a photograph during her introductory property league connected April 17, 2024 astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

"We tin each accidental she is simply a dynamic hoops subordinate and a unit some connected the tribunal and the selling sense. But I bash think, aforesaid happening with folks that whitethorn person fallen successful emotion with Angel Reese, she whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person agreed with everything they had to say, either. We connect our fandom to these icons for each types of reasons, and sometimes they whitethorn not beryllium based successful truth."

The contention speech astir Clark has not stopped – it lone fell to a susurration during the offseason. With the commencement of the WNBA play conscionable astir the corner, it has begun to prime backmost up again arsenic the Indiana Fever are acceptable to person 41 nationally televised games.

Basketball fable Cheryl Miller said she was implicit that talk.

"I’m gonna beryllium honest, due to the fact that it needs to beryllium said," she said connected "All the Smoke" podcast past month. "I tin subordinate to that young lady, and I felt for her. I cognize what it’s similar to beryllium hated. I cognize what it’s similar to beryllium a Black pistillate and to beryllium hated due to the fact that of my color. I can’t ideate this young lady, I don’t privation to usage hate, but despised.

Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, looks connected during the archetypal 4th against the Seattle Storm astatine Climate Pledge Arena connected June 27, 2024 successful Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

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"She brought immoderate connected herself, a small bit, due to the fact that she’s cocky for a bully reason. And I emotion that astir her. But to ticker the dynamics, and the media, they had their narrative. And I was pleased and arrogant to spot the communicative wasn’t the truth. And Angel (Reese) and her got on truthful well."

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