Stephen A. Smith claimed the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark — much like Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement — highlights a racial divide in America.

Clark faced backlash on Thursday for her initial response to questions about her named being used in culture war debates nationwide. She said she wasn’t bothered by the discourse because she didn’t pay attention to it; and that response drew the ire of many online, including Connecticut Sun guard Dijonai Carrington.

Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the sh*t. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.

— dιjonaι carrιngтon♛ (@DijonaiVictoria) June 13, 2024

Later that day, Clark was asked more directly how she felt about people using her to push racism and misogyny. She took a more firm stance by saying the women in the WNBA deserve more respect and expressed her disapproval of those agendas.

I asked #IndianaFever’s Caitlin Clark directly about her name being weaponized for racism/misogyny (as Dijonai Carrington alluded to):

“It’s disappointing. … Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect.” pic.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024

On Friday’s episode of First Take, Smith explained how the nationwide conversation surrounding Clark shows that the U.S. still has societal issues to work on.

“She is a White, young lady,” Smith said, “and she’s been a magnet, in a way, that has benefitted the league in ways that others have not — even though their efforts have been worthy and deserving of being as celebrated, if not even more celebrated. And it’s a reminder that no matter how far we believe that we have advanced as a society, there’s still such a long way to go because in the end, if you’re White, you’re bright, you’re right; and as a result, the shine comes your way in the eyes of a lot of people in America.

“Let’s transition. Very uncomfortable to touch on, but just factual correct. You have somebody that’s a presidential candidate. What is his claim to fame? ‘Make America Great Again.’ What have people interpreted that to mean? ‘Make America White Again.’ These are the things that critics have. He has his supporters spanning the tens of millions. There are others on the other side having tens of millions of supporters on their side. What has that led to? A divide. It is not a divide that is created. It is a divide that’s illuminated because it’s highlighting and showing that it’s been in existence all along. It hasn’t gone anywhere.”

Watch above via ESPN

The post ‘Make America White Again’: Stephen A. Smith Argues Caitlin Clark Discourse Highlights Racial ‘Divide’ in America first appeared on Mediaite.

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