Look no further than renowned basketball expert Nikki Haley for evidence of bad faith and right-wing follies' concerted effort to utilize Caitlin Clark in their culture war against the WNBA.
Haley posted this tweet about the WNBA star following Clark's exclusion from the Olympic team: Permit me to clarify: Caitlin Clark has made more 3-pointers in the WNBA this season than any other Olympic player. In addition, Clark leads all Olympic team members in assists this WNBA season. And the United States will not send her to the Olympics? I figure the Olympic choice advisory group ought to be asked do we maintain that the best group should address our nation or not?"
Clark has only been mentioned once by Haley, to my knowledge. Last year when Haley was crusading in Iowa, she talked about Clark however referred to her as "Caitlin Collins."
She stated, "We're excited to see the Lady Hawkeyes team." What an extraordinary mentor they have. Caitlin Collins is outstanding. Haley may have been mistaking Clark for CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who was also dropped from the Olympic team.
Her free-throw percentage is significantly higher than mine, I can assure you. https://t.co/J46hwf5Lq0
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 30, 2023
This is the thing it's been similar to from moderate and traditional powerhouses after Clark didn't make the Olympics. A lot of fictitious outrage over something that many of them are unaware of. They don't have the foggiest idea about the WNBA. They don't know Caitlin Clark. Likewise Caitlin Collins. They don't know ball. At the Capitol, they believe you can overrun a guard.
Culture war is all they know. Furthermore, race. The right loves to talk about race and says that's all you do. Once in a while their discussion about race or culture is cumbersomely shrouded. Now and again it's unmitigated.
Clark is being used by bad actors to fuel the culture wars they started in this case.
You haven't been paying attention if you think Clark and culture war go together in a sentence. She is no exception to the rule: everything is a tool for use. We fight over a lot of things, and Clark is just another fight. It's an illogical battle however it's a battle. Haley jumped in for this reason. She is aware that it is a culture war. For what other reason could she think often about who makes an Olympic group?
Clark does not wish to engage in combat. She is merely a cheater. Extremists, on the other hand, are attempting to co-opt her greatness and transform it into something repugnant. Yes, it has a creepy, weird "we will protect our Caitlin at all costs" vibe. So unusual. So weird, weird, weird merchandise? When was the last time any of them bothered to consider which female athletes should be selected for the Olympic team? Never is the answer. Never once.
Race is difficult and complicated. It has the potential to unite people, but it can also frequently be used as a weapon, as is the case here. Not every time, but a lot of the time.
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