Caitlin Clark has been honoured by Time magazine as their ‘Athlete of the Year’ following an incredible 2024 – but not everybody is happy about it.
Sheila Johnson, billionaire co-owner of the WNBA‘s Washington Mystics franchise, has criticised Time for the decision to put the Indiana Fever star on their cover.
Instead, she believes the media should do a better job of promoting all the leagues’ players, rather than focusing on Clark’s success.
“This year something clicked with the WNBA and it’s because of the draft of the players that came in, it’s not just Caitlin Clark,” Johnson told CNN, noting the pull of her rival Angel Reese.
“We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognised, I don’t think we can just pin it on one player.
“Last night Caitlin Clark was named ‘Athlete of the Year’. Why couldn’t (Time magazine) put the whole WNBA on that cover and say the WNBA is the league of the year?”
Johnson went on to suggest that ‘singling out one player’ can create ‘hard feelings’ within the league, and that work needs to be done to help elevate other talent.
Her comments, which were shared by CNN Sports on social media website X, quickly went viral.
Within 24 hours, the post had been seen more than 3.4 million times, and was also ‘community noted’ by the platform.
The note, citing the Washington Post, was attached to the clip of Johnson’s rant and read: “31% of the Mystics’ total home attendance for the entire 2024 season came from just two games against Caitlin Clark and the Fever.”
In her debut season with Indiana, Clark broke multiple records and took home the Rookie of the Year award.
She was also named to the All-WNBA first team – becoming the first rookie to make it since 2008 – as she helped guide the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Clark’s maiden season also coincided with an unprecedented increase in coverage of the league, with viewership numbers consistently broken.
The league’s overall attendance increased by 48% year-on-year to its highest level in over 20 years and the boom has been dubbed ‘The Caitlin Clark effect’.
In fact, the game between the Mystics and Fever back in September was played in front of a crowd of 20,711 at Capital One Arena – the largest in WNBA history.
Johnson, who has perhaps been left red-faced by X’s Community Note after her criticism, was also slammed by basketball fans.
“For the first time, a female basketball player has been named Athlete of the Year – and rightfully so – bringing well-deserved attention to your league. And yet, you’re still unsatisfied? Unbelievable,” one wrote.
“The whole WNBA should be the ones presenting this award to Caitlin Clark,” another said.
“Just say congrats and go on with your day,” a third suggested.
While many fans disagree with Johnson’s assessment, her comments will no doubt spark a conversation about how individual honours can shape dynamics in any team sport.