ESPN personality Pat McAfee referred to Caitlin Clark as a “white bitch” during an on-air segment in which he was attempting to blast her critics for saying her success was due to race.
After talking about how the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has now entered the pro ranks, and addressing the brutal hard foul the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter committed against Clark, McAffee then started talking about the perception that the WNBA’s sudden surge in popularity is due to the current “class” of rookies.
“I’m not going to say anything about the athletes on the court,” McAfee said. “Athletes are going to be athletes, if they think they can get in your head by bodying you or talking s–t, they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”
“But I do have a message for the sports media or the ex-WNBA players, there seems to be this notion, and maybe we’re wrong on it, that this whole evolution of success and popularity in the WNBA is because of this entire rookie class. I think there’s a chance Chennedy Carter of Chicago, whenever she’s going to Caitlin, you see Angel Reese get all jacked up about it and celebrating, I think that’s because she thinks Angel Reese deserves more credit than what she’s getting. Caitlin’s getting all this credit and you hear a lot of sports media, ‘This is an entire class, this rookie class is the reason why this is happening it’s the next generation,’ well that’s fun.”
McAfee then showed a prepared presentation that displayed the current rookie class and their impacts on viewership, ratings, etc.
“I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘this rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, just call it for what it is, there’s one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar, and is it because she stayed in Iowa and put an entire state on her back and took a program from nothing to a multiple-year success story?” McAfee said.
“Is it because she would go on to break the entire points records in the history of the NCAA … Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she went about going for what she went for, maybe. But instead, we have to hear people say that we only like her cause she’s white and she’s only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they’re doing. Well, that’s a bunch of bullsh*t, and we think the WNBA, more specifically, their refs, need to stop trying to screw her over at every single turn.”
After taking a torrent of criticism from outside and inside ESPN, McAfee posted a rare apology on X.
“I shouldn’t have used ‘white b-tch’ as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark. No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe,” McAfee wrote on X.
“My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize… I have sent an apology to Caitlin as well.
“Everything else I said… still alllllll facts.”