Pat McAfee regarding Caitlin Clark as a “white bitch” in an impassioned rant about WNBA coverage on Monday … and now, the ESPN personality is facing backlash over the comment.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter gave the fiery monologue to kick off the “Pat McAfee Show”… when he explained how fed up he was with the narrative that the W is gaining popularity due to the entire rookie class with Clark, Cameron Brink It is Angel Reese.
McAfee gave a game show-style presentation to make his point…pointing out how Clark is dominating TV ratings, t-shirt sales and attendance compared to his fellow first-year pros.
He also addressed claims that Clark’s race contributes to her fame… saying the fact that she is white is irrelevant, as are several other big names in the league – Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu It is Kelsey Plum – are also Caucasian.
ESPN
“I wish people in the media would continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie gang,’” McAfee said minutes ago. “No, just tell it like it is – there’s a white bitch on the Indiana team who’s a star.”
“Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she did what she pursued? Maybe,” she added. “But instead we have to listen to people say that we all like her because she’s white and she’s only popular because the rest of the new kids are doing what they’re doing.”
“Well, that’s a lot of bullshit and we think the WNBA — more specifically, its referees — needs to stop trying to screw it at every turn.”
“What you have is someone special and we are lucky she is here in Indiana,” he added.
It’s clear that PM was trying to praise the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and give her due credit for all of her accomplishments… but using a derogatory term for women to get her point across ruffled feathers, to say the least .
This isn’t the first time McAfee has sparked controversy on his show – as we previously reported, he was engaged in the whole Aaron Rodgers/Jimmy Kimmel beef … which forced ESPN to address the New York Jets quarterback’s appearances.