USA Today Columnist Stuns Sports World with Caitlin Clark Article that Bizarrely References Lynching of Emmett Till

(Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

A columnist for USA Today had the sports world buzzing with a recent piece on Caitlin Clark that referenced the lynching of Emmett Till.

On Wednesday, USA Today published an opinion piece titled “Caitlin Clark’s flopping isn’t just annoying — it’s becoming dangerous.”

Clark’s “histrionics” while embellishing the contact she receives on the floor puts “other people in danger,” writer Nancy Armour argued in the piece.

Armour then cited multiple examples of Clark trying to “sell” contact and complaining to the officials when she didn’t get the call.

But there was one paragraph that got much more attention than the rest:

It shouldn’t need reminding this country has an awful history of Black people being harmed, even killed, in the name of “defending” white women.

The WNBA’s All-Star Game this weekend is in Chicago, Emmett Till’s hometown, and a local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn’t been lynched.

While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the wider consequences of her actions.

The sudden reference to Till threw many off guard.

Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina admitted he was “definitely not expecting this paragraph in the story based on this tweet about Caitlin Clark and foul/non-foul calls.”

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie said the Emmett Till reference was “among the most insane choices to include I’ve ever read in any sports story from a serious publication.”

“Like, the kind of crazy where I genuinely have no idea how an editor let it get through,” he added.

Fox Sports analyst Geoff Schwartz simply called Armour’s piece “insane.”

Countless others agreed.

Armour acknowledged Thursday her comparison to Till’s murder was “inartful,” then argued in a statement that her point “still stands.”

“There is a history in this country of perceived threats to white women being weaponized against African-Americans,” Armour asserted, “and the danger that poses to Black players in the league.”

Armour also tweaked the paragraph. At the time of writing, it read:

It shouldn’t need reminding this country has an awful history of Black people being harmed, even killed, in the name of “defending” white women. The irony of the WNBA’s All-Star Game is that it’s happening this weekend in Chicago, the hometown of Emmett Till, who became an icon of the civil rights movement after his tragic murder. The local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn’t been lynched. While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the broader implications of her actions being weaponized.

Clark has been a lightning rod for the WNBA since joining the league in 2024 as the top draft pick.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!