As far as women’s sports have come in America, what happened to Caitlin Clark Wednesday make us realize that there’s still a long ways to go.
Two days after the Fever made the no-brainer selection of the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with the first pick of the WNBA Draft, she met the Indianapolis press for the first time at her introductory press conference.
The result was a facepalm moment for sports media, as well as the country in general.
Longtime Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel, a former national sports writer for CBSSports.com, had what has been termed as a “creepy” initial interaction with Caitlin Clark for all the cameras to record.
The exchange led to a firestorm of controversy that engulfed social media and landed Doyel in some hot water.
Caitlin Clark’s Heart Gesture Made for Cringey Comment
As Caitlin Clark faced the media, Doyel was called on to ask the hoped-for next WNBA superstar a question. Doyel, a three-time honoree as the nation’s top sports columnist by the Associated Press, asked her about her now-famous heart gesture.
Off-camera, Doyel made Caitlin Clark’s trademark gesture. That led to this exchange:
“You like that?” she responded.
“I like that you’re here, I like that you’re here,” Doyel said.
“Yeah, I do that at my family after every game,” she said of the hand gesture.
Doyel then responded: “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.”
The exchange was initially met with a smattering of laughs, though it appeared to make the collegiate hoop phenomenon ill at ease.
Calls for Doyel’s Job Following Caitlin Clark Interaction
While the maladroit moment was initially laughed off by some in attendance, the backlash was swift and severe towards Doyel. Many called for Doyel’s press credentials to be revoked, others called for him to be terminated.
Katie Mox of CBS Sports was among the multitude to take to X, formerly Twitter, to express her outrage, tweeting:
“What happened to Caitlin Clark today at her first press conference in Indy was really gross. I hope she gets an apology.”
Doyel Apologizes to Caitlin Clark Through Press, X
Caitlin Clark, I'm so sorry. Today I was part of the problem.https://t.co/y2fhhWOAim
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) April 18, 2024
Doyel was quick to backtrack on his interaction with Caitlin Clark. By nightfall on Wednesday, he offered an initial apology on X, which read:
“Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature [heart gesture]. My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.”
A few hours later, Doyel tweeted a link to an apology column that ran in Thursday’s newspaper as well as online. He noted that:
“Today I was part of the problem.”
Neither Caitlin Clark, the WNBA, nor the Indiana Fever have made public comment regarding Doyel’s initial exchange or his public apologies as of Thursday afternoon.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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