Caitlin Clark Being Used as a “Pawn”? Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Address Racism in the WNBA
Delio MBA Legend Subber claims that Caitlin Clark is being used as a “pawn” in a recent episode of the podcast “Aouch More.” In the episode, basketball legend Sue Bird and retired U.S. Women’s Soccer star Megan Rapinoe tackled one of the most pressing issues facing the WNBA: racism within the league.
The power couple shared their perspectives and engaged in a candid discussion that included Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who has brought a massive fan base with her and played a crucial role in increasing the popularity of the WNBA. Clark recently led her team to the WNBA playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the first round.
Following their Game 2 loss, Connecticut star Alissa Thomas addressed the media, revealing that she had been subjected to racist comments from members of the Indiana Fever fan base. “It’s a lot of nonsense,” Thomas said. “In my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced such racist comments from fans. It’s unacceptable. There’s no place for it. We’ve remained professional throughout this whole thing, but I’ve never been called the things I’ve been called on social media.”
Thomas’ comments quickly went viral, amassing over 3.4 million views. Sue Bird chimed in, explaining that racism has plagued the WNBA for years and emphasizing that this issue didn’t start with Caitlin Clark’s arrival when she was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft. Bird argued that Clark is unfairly being positioned as a symbol or pawn in the conversation, with some mistakenly linking her to the introduction of racism in the league.
“Racism has been affecting the WNBA well before this year,” Bird said. “This isn’t a new issue. In that sense, I think Caitlin is being used as a pawn. She didn’t bring racism to the WNBA—it’s been happening. What’s shocking is that people are surprised by it, even though we’ve been trying to tell them for years.”
Bird then reflected on her own experiences combating these issues during her career, which spanned from 2002 to 2022. “For so long, as a player, I’d joke that I’d love to just ‘shut up and dribble,’” she said. “I’d have loved to be valued just as a basketball player. But nobody let us do that. So, what happened? We started to build a backbone, an identity. We realized that if we wanted to push our league forward, we’d have to confront these issues.”
Sue Bird, who retired from the WNBA in 2022 after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm in 2002, is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in league history. A four-time WNBA champion, 13-time All-Star, and five-time All-WNBA First Team member, Bird paved the way for young stars like Caitlin Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
Bird continued with a powerful statement about her time in the league: “You know what else we learned? It feels good to stand up for yourself, but it feels even better to stand up for others. We realized that people were learning from us, following our lead in ways we hadn’t expected. And who were we following? Black women.”
