Since Caitlin Clark’s college days at Iowa, there’s been a persistent perception that WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes isn’t the biggest fan of the Indiana Fever’s breakout rookie guard. Despite Swoopes expressing excitement for Clark’s WNBA debut, conducting a professional interview with her during the preseason, and apologizing for past inaccuracies about Clark’s college scoring record, the criticism aimed at Swoopes has continued. This includes a recent critique from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
The latest controversy surfaced during Tuesday evening’s broadcast of the Las Vegas Aces vs. Dallas Wings game, where Swoopes was providing commentary. During the segment, Swoopes’ broadcast partner Ron Thulin mentioned Clark and Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier earning WNBA Player of the Week honors. Swoopes, however, remained silent and didn’t add any commentary on the accolades, instead moving on with the broadcast focused on the game at hand.
Sheryl Swoopes goes completely silent for 50 seconds as her co-caster talks about Caitlin Clark winning player of the week pic.twitter.com/CEeoSduczG
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) August 28, 2024
This silence sparked scrutiny and led to accusations that Swoopes was intentionally avoiding discussing Clark’s achievement due to a supposed bias against her. However, these assumptions seem to be reaching too far. While it’s unclear why Swoopes didn’t comment on the Players of the Week honors, she later shared a fan’s perspective on her Twitter (X) account that offered a reasonable explanation for her silence.
I watched the game live and thought I missed something. What did they expect @airswoopes22 to say or do? The PbP guy was busy talking about the awards & schedule. Sounds like Swoopes did a good job & let him do his job.
— C.E.D.R.I.C. (@Official_C_E_D) August 28, 2024
Swoopes has faced a barrage of criticism online, with some accusing her of harboring negative feelings towards Clark. However, Swoopes clarified that her issue isn’t with Clark but with the angry WNBA fans flooding her mentions. The controversy feels overblown, especially considering the possibility that Swoopes simply chose to stay silent during the broadcast to avoid any commentary on Clark that could be misinterpreted as negative. In her position, discussing Clark, whether positively or negatively, puts her in a difficult spot.
People really up here trying to MAKE @airswoopes22 be a Caitlin Clark fan??
— Slue (@sneakerbox_slue) August 28, 2024
In situations like this, it’s often best to take people at their word and move on. Swoopes has expressed that she enjoys Clark’s game and that her frustration lies with the online negativity, not with Clark herself. This is a perfectly understandable stance.
The real issue doesn’t seem to be between Swoopes and Clark; rather, it’s the unnecessary noise generated by Swoopes’ critics. Instead of fueling this non-controversy, it’s time to give Swoopes a break and shift the focus back to the game we all love.
