Sheila Johnson Criticizes Caitlin Clark’s Athlete of the Year Cover

December 13, 2024

Billionaire Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson is questioning why Caitlin Clark was named Time’s Athlete of the Year and not the entire WNBA.

Billionaire Washington Mystics owner and BET Co-Founder Sheila Johnson is speaking out against Caitlin Clark being named Time‘s Athlete of the Year.

Clark is the first WNBA player to receive the coveted title, and Johnson is questioning why she continues to be singled out instead of the league as a whole being featured on the cover.

“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” Johnson told CNN Sports after questioning why Time “couldn’t have put the whole WNBA on that cover” to highlight the league’s collective talent.

Johnson, who co-owns three Washington sports franchises—the NHL’s Capitals, the NBA’s Wizards, and the WNBA’s Mystics—said Clark isn’t the only WNBA rookie who has brought more attention to the league this year.

“This year, something clicked with the WNBA and it’s because of the draft of players that came in. It’s not just Caitlin Clark; it’s (Angel) Reese (as well). We have so much talent out there,” she said.

Clark’s debut season with the Indiana Fever has been met with widespread acclaim. She claimed the Rookie of the Year award and earned a spot on the All-WNBA First Team—becoming the first rookie to achieve this since 2008. Dubbed “The Caitlin Clark Effect,” she’s credited with driving league viewership and coverage to its highest levels in over two decades.

Additionally, she signed an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike, including a signature shoe. However, her rapid success has drawn criticism, with many pointing out that Black star players have not received deals of similar magnitude.

Johnson, America’s first Black woman billionaire, cites the additional talent within the WNBA that’s worthy of the increased coverage and fanfare that Clark has received in her first year in the league.

“They would like to get the same kind of recognition. It all started with the whole Nike sponsorship that Caitlin got,” Johnson said.

“There are other players saying, ‘What about us?’”

In her Time Athlete of the Year profile, Clark acknowledged the advantages of her white privilege and emphasized the need to address the disparities in sponsorship and media coverage between her and her Black counterparts.

“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege.

“A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.”

“I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

It’s a bold statement that Johnson applauds Clark for making.

“I applaud her for saying it,” she said. “We have got to work together because the WNBA is at an inflection point where we’re really starting to go up, and I don’t want to lose that momentum.”

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