Opinion: Caitlin Clark needs to call out the toxic segment of her fan base

Of all the things Caitlin Clark has been asked to do the last two-plus years, this is the most important:

She needs to publicly call out the racist and homophobic trash purporting to be her fans and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that she neither approves of nor condones their bigotry. They need to make a choice, right now, and it’s her or their gleeful hate.

Yes, Clark disavowed the toxic discourse in June, calling it "disappointing" and saying, "People should not be using my name to push those agendas." But that was in response to a question, not a statement of her own initiative. And it's gotten much, much worse since then.

Clark did not ask for this, any of it. She just wants to play basketball. But so do the other 143 women of the WNBA and, right now, some of Clark’s fans are making that impossible.

Like the one who sent DiJonai Carrington a message Tuesday with racial and misogynistic slurs in the subject line and a wish that she would be raped and murdered. Like the woman at Wednesday night’s game who mocked the (almost exclusively) Black players with stiletto nails by wearing Edward Scissorhands-like fake tips and a T-shirt with the words “Ban nails.” Like the people who’ve sent fake nudes of Angel Reese to her relatives.

Shall I continue?

“In my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Alyssa Thomas said Wednesday night, after the Connecticut Sun ended Clark’s rookie season with a sweep of Indiana in the best-of-three series.

“It’s unacceptable, honestly, and there’s no place for it,” Thomas continued, her voice measured but strong. “We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things.”

And Clark shouldn’t want them, either.

Clark has been, arguably, the most exciting and entertaining athlete in any sport over the last two years, with her logo 3s and passes that make you rub your eyes to make sure you really did just see that. She’s brought a legion of new fans to women’s basketball and, for many, that love of Clark has blossomed into a love for the entire game and a new appreciation for players like A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

But there are others whose ignorance is ruining it for everyone.

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Some simply don’t know the game or the history of the WNBA and are outraged that the rest of the league isn’t bowing in Clark’s wake. They howl at the physical play and hard fouls that have always been a staple of the WNBA, conveniently ignoring both that Clark knows it’s part of the game and that she can give every bit as good as she gets.

Those people are irritating, their over-the-top fandom prompting eye rolls and deep sighs. They are largely harmless, though.

Not so the “fans” who use rooting for Clark as cover for their bigotry and biases, hurling slurs at Black players and perpetuating the ugly stereotypes of Black athletes. They see their abuse as justified because Clark needs to be protected and cherished and elevated, privileges that society has long demanded for white women at the expense of Black people.

“It matters to certain people that Clark is in this Black woman-dominated sport and has been doing so well,” said Moya Bailey, a professor at Northwestern University who coined the term “misogynoir” to describe the unique prejudice directed at Black women.

“There’s something specific about how people see Black women as opposed to other women of color or other women, and that needs to be discussed,” Bailey said. “One of the things I say is misogynoir is something people find useful, and they are finding more and more reasons to use it.”

The WNBA bears part of the blame for this. The toxicity was evident from the very beginning of the season, an amplification of the mischaracterized college rivalry between Clark and Reese, and the silence from commissioner Cathy Engelbert was deafening. When she was asked about it during an appearance on CNBC earlier this month, she blathered on about rivalries and marketing opportunities.

The WNBA did release a strong statement Wednesday night, saying it is monitoring threats to players and will involve law enforcement if necessary.

“While we welcome the growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league,” the league said.

Too bad it came four months too late. With Clark out of the playoffs, and out of the spotlight, the garbage segment of her fanbase will disappear back into its cesspool, not to be heard from again until next spring. Hopefully.

This is too important to let fester, however, which is why Clark needs to speak out. Now.

It might not be fair to put this kind of burden on Clark, who, again, has done nothing to encourage the bigoted behavior. But the burden the Black women in the league have been carrying for months isn’t fair, either, and Clark is the one person who might be able to quash the hate. She at least needs to try.

Clark has been a marvel these last two years, always rising to the occasion and showing an uncanny ability to make the right move. She needs to do it again, this time off the court.

This story was updated to add new information.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.