Jemele Hill questions the Caitlin Clark hype and accuses media of snubbing black players | Daily Mail Online

Jemele Hill raises a significant concern about Caitlin Clark, but it’s not due to anything Clark did or said; rather, it’s about how the media covers her.

Caitlin Clark, the standout star of the Iowa Hawkeyes, has undeniably become the biggest name in women’s college basketball in recent years, and the comparison to Stephen Curry only adds to her allure.

Fans flock to see her play, but it’s the overwhelming media coverage surrounding her that troubles Jemele Hill. Hill, a former ESPN host, argues that the media treats white players like Clark differently than they do Black players.

“Everything about this sport has been trending up for years now. It did not just start with Caitlin Clark,” Hill said in an interview with Uproxx.

“A study I cited recently for a piece I wrote in The Atlantic [found that] when you compare [the coverage] of, say, someone like (Paige) Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu, or Caitlin Clark to A’ja Wilson, who has dominated basketball at every single level. She’s probably the best player in the world right now. And I’m not trying to act like she gets no coverage, but the coverage that sometimes non-white women get, or specifically Black women get, is not even close. It’s two-to-one,” Hill added.

Hill further added that A’ja Wilson, arguably the best player in the world, deserved more coverage than what Caitlin Clark is getting right now.

“I mean, Aliyah Boston was the best player in college just a couple of years ago. And she did not get even a 10th of this media coverage that Caitlin Clark did. Now, some people would say, ‘Oh, it’s her game.’ But I don’t think it was that. She’s tremendous on television, and I’m thinking, What a missed opportunity for the national media to really elevate who she was as a person. Caitlin Clark seems to be a great personality, but it is not like Caitlin Clark is walking around saying crazy stuff. They’re just covering her excellence, and that’s good enough. Whereas it feels like for Black athletes to get the same amount of coverage or even fair coverage, there has to be something extra [beyond basketball].”

Clark is having a fabulous run with the No. 1-seeded Iowa in her senior year. The superstar guard has broken several NCAA records as she looks to add a National Championship to her resume before she departs to the WNBA after the year.

Jemele Hill can't understand the hype around Caitlin Clark | Marca

Regardless of Jemele Hill’s perspective, Caitlin Clark’s legacy will be cemented in college basketball history, not only for her remarkable scoring prowess but also for her broader impact on the women’s game.

Clark has been a sensation in college, drawing high ratings and attendance to her games. Her ability to captivate audiences is expected to translate seamlessly to the WNBA, benefiting both her home team and visiting fan bases.

As the WNBA continues its upward trajectory, Clark’s presence promises to elevate the league even further. Fans across the board should be rooting for her to become the WNBA’s equivalent of Stephen Curry.