Dawn Staley. I wanted to start this with her name because I was talking about women's college basketball and didn't want the readers to be confused with Caitlin Clark. Full disclosure: She's a phenomenal player and absolutely at the box office, but it wasn't difficult to see that ESPN (and probably a large part of middle America) wanted Clark to be the victor at the end of the season. Hell, I want to marry Lupita Nyong'o. We sometimes don't get what we want.
It isn't easy because our love for any other sport allows fans to have multiple storylines. I can be a fan of the Gamecocks and acknowledge Clark's play without feeling as if Dawn's achievements and an undefeated season are overlooked.
The saying is "to the victors gets the spoils," but not for the Gamecocks. CNN got flack after the Championship with the headline "South Carolina finishes the season undefeated after beating Iowa in the championship game, the final college game for Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark," using a picture of a smiling Clark and her teammates.
Imagine if the Kansas City Chiefs lost the Super Bowl and a headline centered the 49ers, but with a picture of Taylor Swift. Now, is this Clark's fault? No, it's not Taylor's fault for supporting her man. There's enough room for multiple storylines, but this Clark situation raises an important question: Why isn't the Gamecock's undefeated season and third Championship for coach Staley enough?
According to NCAA.com, this has only happened 10 times in the last 41 years of the D1 women's basketball tournament. And if we're talking about how many times a Black woman has done it at coach, the answer is 1: Goat Staley. There hasn't been a Black coach for men to have an undefeated championship season.
Maybe I'm a homer, but I've seen these things before. Yes, we love the Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers rivalry, but at the heart of the Bird and Magic dynamic, it always felt like it gave unsavory minds permission to make it something it shouldn't be. Or as the late, great comedian Robin Harris talked about Black sports fans dissing Larry Bird because of his race. Claiming his critics would complain that he only has a 3-point shot, to which Harris would respond, "That's all he needs!"
But my argument about what is needed goes beyond this phenomenal season. We have to make sure that we can create more stars next year. I hope ESPN enjoys its stimulus package because Clark is in the WNBA next year, along with LSU's Angel Reese and even our beloved Kamilla Cardoso.
There's a fantastic opportunity here. The irony didn't hit me when I caught up with homie and artist Sanford Greene, rushing to watch the Gamecock's Final Four game, followed by Iowa and UCONN. We found ourselves glued to the screens, enjoying not just the women on the court but also commentary from the REAL big three: Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter. The only thing that would've made it more woman empowery is if we were bumpin' 'Cowboy Carter' during the game.
But ultimately, it doesn't matter what I think about this. It matters what BIPOC women feel about the coverage (or lack thereof) of these players. You hear rumblings of the Gamecocks not getting enough shine, not just from fans but also from former and current players.
Fox sports commentator Emmanuel Acho, after Angel Reese and LSU lost to Iowa, remarked: "Angel Reese, you can't be the big bad wolf but then kind of cry like Courage the Cowardly Dog, because if you want to act grown, which she has, if you want to get paid like you grown, which you are."
These comments came after Reese cried in a presser talking about the struggles she went through from hate on social media, including death threats.
Or comments like, from human excrement with a voicebox, Jason Whitlock said, "Nobody tuning in for that rough, physical, uncoached style of basketball that South Carolina plays." (In an unrelated Tweet, he also called Clarence Thomas "our generation's Frederick Douglass," so take what he says with a grain of salt.)
These comments came from Black men in the media, and for someone like Acho to refer to a Black woman as a dog in a public forum can't just be considered an honest mistake. We don't have to worry about what these players are going through because they tell us, and we should believe them. And keep it consistent. Don't lament about college players getting NIL money if you didn't have a problem with Clark in a State Farm ad (which was great, by the way.)
Maybe I'm extra sensitive because I believe Dawn Staley is the one person in my hometown who can bring this place together. She uses her platform to amplify her faith and uplift these women. In other words, I ride for Dawn just like everyone in my town, and if anybody has something smart to say, I'm going to magically appear behind them like the Undertaker did behind the Rock at "Wrestlemania 40." Forever to thee.
