While there might be a fair amount of people who have their qualms about Time Magazine naming Caitlin Clark as their Athlete of the Year for 2024, one prominent figure who has taken no issue with it at all is ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith.
In fact, the tenured reporter recently went on another lengthy tirade addressing anyone and everyone who does not agree with Clark’s latest honor.
“You see why I have no problem with her being Time’s Athlete of the Year?” Smith said on a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” “You see why I said she should’ve been on Team USA? You see why I had to go off on the likes of Sheryl Swoopes and others who were clearly distant and dismissive of her, no matter how much they tried to deny it?
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22).
“There was resentment towards her, and here’s why I said it was stupid: Because when she came into the WNBA for 22-plus years, they had been flying commercial, they were begging for chartered flights. She arrives there and two weeks later, they got chartered flights. She automatically and instantaneously improved the conditions.”
Smith wasn’t done. He then went on to emphasize that the main reason the league is seeing a significant uptick is because of Clark.
“Things are on an upward trending trajectory, it’s improving, and she has everything to do with it. … she’s directly responsible,” Smith declared. “And people are resenting her for it like she was the cause of the problems they had for the lack of recognition.”
Just recently, Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson questioned Time’s decision to name Clark the 2024 Athlete of the Year. According to the billionaire businesswoman, “singling out” Clark was not the right move, and the publication should have shined the spotlight on the entire league.
While Smith did not address Johnson’s comments directly, it would probably be safe to assume that the outspoken ESPN analyst does not agree with that hot take.
