December 13, 2024
Billionaire Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson questions why Kaitlyn Clark was named Time’s Athlete of the Year and not the entire WNBA.
Billionaire Washington Mystics owner and BET co-founder Sheila Johnson speaks Against Caitlin Clarke being named The timeAthlete of the year.
Clarke is the first WNBA player to receive the coveted title, and Johnson questions why she continues to be singled out instead of the league as a whole being featured on the cover.
“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” Johnson told CNN Sports after asking why time”couldn’t put the entire WNBA on that cover” to highlight the league’s collective talent.
Johnson, who co-owns Washington’s three sports franchises — the NHL’s Capitals, the NBA’s Wizards and the WNBA’s Mystics — said Clarke isn’t the only WNBA newcomer who has drawn more attention to the league this year.
“Something happened with the WNBA this year and it was because of the players that came in. It’s (Angel) Reese (also). We have so much talent there,” she said.
Clark’s debut season with the Indiana Fever earned her Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the All-WNBA team, becoming the first rookie to do so since 2008. named for increasing the league’s viewership and coverage for more than two decades.
In addition, he signed an eight-year contract with Nike worth $28 million, including a signature shoe.However, his rapid success was met with criticism, with many noting that the Black Stars players did not receive deals of similar magnitude.
Johnson, America’s first black female billionaire, cites the WNBA’s additional talent as deserving of the increased coverage and fans Clarke has received in her first year in the league.
“They would love to get the same recognition. It all started with all the Nike sponsorship that Kaitlyn got,” Johnson said.
“There are other players who say, ‘What about us?’
In him The time Athlete of the Year Profile Clarke acknowledged the benefits of her white privilege and emphasized the need to address the disparity in patronage and media coverage between her and her black counterparts.
“I want to say I’ve earned everything, but as a white man, there is privilege.
“A lot of the players in the league that have been really good have been black players. This league is kind of built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, and then continue to invest in brands and companies among the players that have made this league incredible, I think that’s very important.”
“I have to keep trying to change that. The more we can uplift black women, that will be a beautiful thing.”
That’s a bold statement Johnson applauds Clark to prepare.
“I applaud her for saying that,” she said. “We’ve got to work together because the WNBA is at an inflection point where we’re really starting to take off, and I don’t want to lose that momentum.”
RELATED CONTENT: Angel Reese says he can ‘let go’ of his bills now as Reebok extends sneaker deal through 2026
