Caitlin Clark media noise starting to get to her family

It shouldn't come as a surprise, but every negative comment hurled Caitlin Clark's way reaches more than just her.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Clark detailed how she's finding her joy in her rookie season in the WNBA amidst the constant chaos off the court. While it's encouraging she's keeping her chin up and doing her best, one quote from the article paints a tough picture of the situation.

“They see all this stuff, too," Clark said referring to her parents. "You have to remember, we’re regular people with feelings. My parents have feelings. It can definitely be hard at times. Honestly, I feel like I have a pretty good skill of blocking everything out. I think being in this position, you better have that skill, or else it’s going to break you at some point.”

Now, nothing is going to stop negative social media comments. People are free to say what they want on platforms, whether they hide behind anonymity or not. However, as Clark said in the interview, so much of the conversation is off the court. It's unnecessary and irrelevant drama.

The problem doesn't belong to just Clark. A study showed that Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter receive more social media hate than any other player in the WNBA. While Carter may have instigated her fair share by knocking Clark down on an inbound pass, it's clear Clark's fans know how to dish it out just as well.

And that's not acknowledging the racial and misogynistic implications of much of these conversations. You'll see some vile comments under any post referring to any of these players.

It's easy to feel sorry for the WNBA and its players because they've deserved a more focused platform for a long time. Clark is giving that platform because of her popularity. Whether or not her talent equates to her popularity, a consistent argument for her detractors, is largely irrelevant.

While it's clear in some spaces Clark is being targeted, it does come with the territory. Not to compare her to these legends, but LeBron James gets slandered, Tom Brady was slandered. Name any marginally great player in any league, they all deal with it. For whatever reason, 'fans' see great players and look for reasons to say they aren't on social media.

That doesn't mean Clark or her family needs to just get over it any more than James and Brady did and do. It's just acknowledging that nothing is going to stop it except boredom.

But the seemingly personal nature of the discourse, every little thing being a story, every quote a controversy -- it goes to show that so much of this ongoing saga is unnecessary.

It all draws attention away from a sport that needs positive publicity and it hurts people that don't deserve it.

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