What Has Caitlin Clark Done?

(By Richard Goodman, 19 October 2026)

My discussion of the recent coverage of Caitlin Clark on the “Casuals with Katie Nolan” podcast. 

A few weeks ago, as the WNBA was heading to the pointy end of the season, I had to stop the “Casuals” podcast I was listening to due to major disappointment with some of the content.  The Casualties were reviewing the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs and committed what appeared to be sports malpractice. I say that because although you correctly discussed Olivia Miles breaking the rookie scoring record and winning the “Rookie Of The Year” award, noted the Cheryl Reeves win for the “Coach Of the Year” award, and mentioned several other accomplishments by the women in the league, you overlooked several other accomplishments and records.

After a few days, I listened to the rest of the podcast because these have been a source of happiness during my long morning commute every Tuesday and Thursday.  I figured it was just a matter of timing and program length, and the next podcast would discuss these milestones.  Several podcasts later and nothing has been said though.  I have to conclude then that these were deliberate omissions, hence sports malpractice.  

The premise of the program, as I understand it, is to introduce people to the joy of sports and help them understand the events, the players, the news, and the accomplishments that will enable them to appreciate sports on their terms.  I would imagine that celebrating historic records and great players is part of that process, which is why I was confused and disappointed on that earlier podcast, and subsequent ones, when there was no mention of the person who won the “Comeback Player of the Year” award, and no mention of the first player in WNBA playoff history to accomplish a double-double in just one half of a game. 

There was also no mention of the duo that was the highest scoring pair in league history, no mention of the record being set for the highest scoring team in league history, no mention of the player who broke the single season record for the most 20-point, 10-assist games, and no mention of the player who ended this season with more 30-point, 10-assist games than all other players in history combined.  What makes it even more unexpected was that all of these records involved one person- Caitlin Clark.  To not deem this worthy of even a brief discussion seems like sports malpractice to me. 

I get that Katie hates Cailin Clark.  That much is clear from the few comments she’s made this season even though Clark has never said anything to merit that disdain.  I have never heard Clark say anything other than how much she loves the game and how much she respects and admires the players in the league, both past and present, and to condemn people who try to use her as a pawn in their racist agenda.  Isn’t a sports show supposed to at least acknowledge historic accomplishments?  How would Katie react to someone discussing Tom Brady’s legacy when he retired by saying “Tom Brady went to several Super Bowls, lost twice to the Giants and was involved in scandals such as Spygate and Deflategate.”?  While true, that doesn’t cover the entirety of his accomplishments. 

Ignoring important accomplishments feels like gatekeeping to me.  It is sort of saying that I cannot be a real fan of the WNBA because I like Caitlin Clark and enjoy watching her play, and saying that my fandom should not be allowed.  How is that different from telling someone that they are not a real fan because they can’t name the third baseman for the 1982 Cleveland Indians, or because they don’t know the lifetime batting average for Johnny Damon. 

Gatekeeping is actually counter-productive.  At best, it turns someone off from sports and makes them stop engaging.  At worst, it radicalizes them and makes them over-compensate for the slights from the gatekeeper by becoming a vocal advocate for their player to the extent they ignore other worthy players, diminish other's accomplishments, ignore reality when it comes to “their” player, and it helps creates the toxic environment that nobody wants.

You can dislike a player and still discuss them on a factual basis or at least acknowledge their accomplishments in passing.  I’m surprised Katie didn’t say something like “After the Indiana Fever fought back in a historic game two, the league’s highest producing offense was shut down by Jackie Young’s scoring and Chelsea Gray’s playmaking in a thrilling game three that sent the short-handed Aces into the semi-finals.” Objective, factual, and still highlighting what the Aces were able to accomplish.  Instead, all that was discussed in that episode was the spectator pointing at Aja Wilson, fueling the toxic fan debate.   

Hearing about accomplishments guides casual fans to other players.  After hearing about Mia Hamm’s play in the 1995 World Cup, including playing a few minutes as goalkeeper, I started watching her games and greatly enjoyed following her career, eventually having her become part of my hometown Washington Spirit.  As a result of following legend Mia Hamm, I am now a fan of Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Trinity Rodman, and Rose Lavelle.  

After appreciating the grit and determination of Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter playing tennis at the majors, I also started watching Steffi Graf, Venus Williams, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, Jessica Pegula, Justine Henin and Serena Williams, and have been enjoying both the men’s and the women’s games ever since.

Finally, after hearing about this college phenom, Caitlin Clark, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I started paying attention again to women’s basketball, having stopped watching all basketball after John Stockton retired from the Utah Jazz and Chamique Holdsclaw left the Washington Mystics.  After that first season of watching the Fever, I was hooked on the WNBA.  I, of course, loved Clark’s Fever teammates like Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, and Lexi Hull, but I also started watching other players and paying attention to what was going on in the league.  I stayed up later in the evenings than I should have during my job’s annual conference so I could watch the New York Liberty win a championship.  In the second Clark season, I celebrated the Indiana Fever upgrading their talent with Dwanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, was astonished at the remarkable rise of the Valkyries, admired Chelsea Gray’s passing skills and Rhyne Howard’s defensive grit and 3-point shooting in Unrivaled. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen joined Shakira Austin and rebuilt the Washington Mystics into a dangerous team with playoff potential quicker than anyone expected. 

So why is it wrong to enjoy the player that brought me to the WNBA and all the other players I discovered as a result?  I would be sad if I couldn’t appreciate Chelsea Gray zoom around the court after a dagger three-pointer, or Sonia Citron making calm, cold-blooded plays to dissect an opposing team, or Kiah Stokes swat away the ball as a player goes up for a shot.  If I am not supposed to enjoy this, I should at least know why.  The podcast has made it clear why I should not like Lane Kiffen, Pete Rose, or the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. 

What has Caitlin Clark done that makes her unworthy of having her accomplishments acknowledged?  What has she done to set the league back instead of move it forward?  Why can’t her records even be mentioned factually and impassively?  If you say it is because of her “fans”, the people you are thinking of are not her fans.  They are bad actors who are trying to push an offensive agenda and are not really fans of Clark or the league. 

Actuals fans understand what Caitlin Clark has said repeatedly and where she stands on racism, misogyny, and people trying to diminish the league.  There is a reason Courtney Williams and her “StudBud” partner Natisha Hiedeman jokingly called Caitlin Clark “the President” at last year’s All-Star Game.  She wants to bring everyone together, move the league forward, get the players what they deserve, and remove obstacles so everyone can enjoy the game of basketball.  Doesn’t that sound like a nice idea, one that we all should support?

Thank you for letting me get this off my chest.  It has been weighing on me for weeks.  I really enjoy the podcast and have been sad that my fandom was being diminished.  I know I cannot make someone like a player they hate but I am hoping that in the future there can at least be a recognition of facts when records are made.  A discussion would be nice but if you are worried about backlash, you can simply say what happened during a game or what record was broken with no gushing or glazing of a player.  Anyone who wants you to ignore facts is clearly not interested in an honest sports discussion and should not be given a platform for their disinformation.  I’m hoping the podcast can be a beacon of positivity, humor, and honest reporting in the current wash of anger, misinformation, partisanship, and selfishness.  I know, simple goals, right?  I have faith in the Casuals team’s ability which is why I love you and I mean it.