RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesCaitlin Clark's answer to a question about the WNBA's convergence with the "Save Women's Sports" movement became a point of internal debate within the movement and her fan base in recent days.
Dave Portnoy and Megyn Kelly, two known Clark supporters, even went at it on X about it.
Clark was asked Sunday about the WNBA's ongoing controversy related to demonstrations outside of Indiana Fever games. Her teammate Sophie Cunningham voiced her support for protecting women's sports from biological males in late July, and rallies in support of Cunningham have followed the Fever to their last three games. Counterprotests have also appeared outside each of the last three games.
WNBA SUDDENLY WANTS TO STICK TO BASKETBALL AFTER YEARS OF MAKING POLITICS PART OF THE PRODUCT
Clark did not reveal her stance on the issue when she answered, but deferred to the governing bodies and leagues that oversee women's sports.
"I think, for us, it's not really a discussion we really have in our locker room," Clark answered. "I think it's for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions. 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. So we need to find an area to improve in that way."
Clark then declined a related follow-up question, saying "I just answered for you."
Multiple advocacy groups leading the "Save Women's Sports" movement have addressed Clark's answer in statements to Fox News Digital.
Some of the groups appeared to defend Clark.
"Female athletes should never be forced to 'pick a side' to defend their right to the same opportunities afforded to men or be pressured to surrender that right in the middle of their careers. Yet because sport leaders have failed to adopt clear, fair policies, players are left carrying that burden themselves, creating unnecessary conflict among teammates, friends, and competitors," ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith told Fox News Digital.
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"We saw the devastating toll of this during the Mountain West volleyball controversy, where women were placed in the impossible position of choosing between standing up for what they believed was fair or forfeiting games at the expense of their teams.
"The resulting tension fractured relationships and divided women’s teams. That division was not created by the athletes. It was the product of institutional failure. Women’s leagues should be for women. It is the responsibility of sport leaders, not individual players, to protect the integrity of women’s competition so athletes can focus on what they came to do: compete. But when policymakers fail women, courage falls to the athletes. History has always revealed the difference between the timid and the bold, between those captive to ideology and those willing to stand for what is right."
"Everyone should be able to make the point that a women's league should be for women. This shouldn't be hard. It’s understandable that Caitlin Clark wants to dodge this question because the leadership of her league has been so embarrassing in their response," Independent Women President Carrie Lukas told Fox News Digital.
"That's a disservice to every female professional basketball player and every young girl who hopes to play in the future. Of course, men shouldn't be allowed in women's basketball. Full stop. You can support both equality and protecting women's sports for females only. That's why the women's basketball league exists."
THESE FEMALE ATHLETES NEED TO SPEAK UP ABOUT KEEPING WOMEN'S SPORTS FOR WOMEN, LIKE SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM DID
"Caitlin Clark had an opportunity to stand up for women and girls, and she chose not to. This isn't a question that should be punted or treated as someone else's responsibility. Female athletes deserve leaders and role models willing to say what the science, common sense, and now the U.S. Supreme Court have recognized: sex matters in sports," Independent Women’s Law Center senior legal counsel Beth Parlato told Fox News Digital.
"Protecting women's sports isn't controversial; it is essential to preserving fairness, safety, and equal athletic opportunity for female athletes. More athletes need to take a stand like Sophie Cunningham has and have the courage to speak clearly in defense of the very category that made their own success possible."
"Athletes like Sophie Cunningham who are standing up for women and girls to have fair competition are exceptional and courageous. We hope that Clark and every other WNBA player will stand up in support of female athletes. But ultimately, the WNBA and other sports governing bodies must facilitate fair and safe competitions so their athletes can focus on competing. The WNBA should immediately adopt a policy that establishes only biological women can play basketball in the league. Does the WNBA stand for fairness in women’s sports or not?" Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance told Fox News Digital.
"Women in the public eye have a responsibility to set an example for the young girls watching them, and that starts with standing up for the fundamentals of basic biology. It should never be difficult to defend common sense, and it should never be controversial to protect young girls. Every woman with a platform has a choice: stand up for the next generation of girls, or stay silent while their opportunities, their privacy, and their safety are taken away. Parents across America know where Moms for Liberty stands, and we will never back down." Moms for Liberty CEO and Co-Founder of Moms for Liberty Tina Descovich told Fox News Digital.
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