Surely, you’ve heard by now about Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s opinion that transgender athletes should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. The ESPN profile published on July 21, sparking a firestorm around the Fever, including “Support Sophie Cunningham” rallies at games in Seattle, Portland, and Minnesota. Cunningham started it, but people wanted Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark to answer for it. People always want to hear from Caitlin Clark.
Throughout last week’s chaos, Clark did not meet with from the media until the postgame press conference following the Fever’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx last Sunday, Aug. 2. The first question probed how Clark and her teammates navigated the aftermath of Cunningham’s comments.
“I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said. “I think it’s for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball. That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins, and, obviously, we didn’t do that tonight.”
Clark’s response was ripped by conservative media, underscoring the arduous position Clark occupies. Speak up, and she’s wrong. Stay silent, and she’s wrong. And now, Clark is addressing the intense scrutiny she faces for how she chooses to use her platform — and the mounting pressure to use her voice the way other people see fit.
“I think, first and foremost, you speak when you feel like you want to speak,” Clark said during her media availability before the Fever took on the Las Vegas Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, Aug. 6. “I think, for myself, I’ve been in this position for, what? Five years now? Four years? I think I have a good feel of what’s gonna be asked, what’s not gonna be asked, how to approach each situation, and I try to show up and just be myself every single day.”
“I hope fans feel like they can connect with me in that way, but at the same time, I’m 24 years old,” Clark continued. “I’m trying to navigate life. I’m trying to navigate playing at the highest level. And then, sometimes, you get asked a lot of questions. Sometimes, that’s your responsibility, and sometimes, you want to keep the focus on basketball. So, I feel like you just do your best to navigate it. You go with your gut. I feel, any time I’m up at this podium, I try to give you my authentic self the best way I can.”
“Sure, there’s a responsibility, and sure, there’s pressure at times. I think there’s moments where you’re able to block a lot of it out. I feel like any athlete would probably feel like they’re lying to you if they said that they didn’t feel pressure in a certain way. Or, feel like they had certain expectations, whether that’s a question that’s gonna be asked, whether that’s your ability to perform, no matter what it is. That can probably creep in on an athlete performing at the highest level.”
Clark also shared that she has felt that this season, as well as throughout her entire basketball career and subsequent life as a public figure. Her antidote is quite simple: “I think you just try to show up every single day and be your best self, and then surround yourself with really good people.”
This should be, ideally and theoretically, the last time Clark addresses this for a while.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.