Sue Bird comes to Caitlin Clark and Fever fans’ defense as she condemns growing “racist agendas”

Sue Bird comes to Caitlin Clark and Fever fans’ defense as she condemns growing “racist agendas”

WNBA legend Sue Bird shared her thoughts on the ongoing conversation surrounding Caitlin Clark and her alleged racist fans. The four-time WNBA champion, alongside her fiancee Megan Rapinoe, spoke on the topic in their joint “A Touch More” show.

Bird said that the “racist agenda” had nothing to do with Clark or the team’s fans:

“That has to go. … It’s not the Fever fans, it’s not the Caitlin fans. … We’re talking about the faction of that group that is pushing racist agendas, and is pushing hate, and creating divisiveness online acting as fans, acting as Fever fans, acting as Caitlin fans.”

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Unfortunately, the conversation has been going on for a while now, with some people allegedly using Caitlin Clark’s name to spread their hate toward other WNBA players. Chicago Sky forward and fellow rookie Angel Reese shared shocking details of the abuse she suffered from such fans.

Alyssa Thomas spoke on the topic as well after the Sun eliminated Clark and the Fever in the first round of the 2024 WNBA postseason:

“Honestly, it’s been a lot of nonsense. I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like) from the Indiana Fever fan base … It’s unacceptable, honestly, and there’s no place for it.”

Veteran basketball analyst Stephen A. Smith agreed that some of these fans are indeed racist when Reese shared her stories, while Clark has made it clear that nobody deserves to be subjected to these types of comments.

Caitlin Clark had strong message against racists on social media

After the topic was brought up to Caitlin Clark’s attention, the Indiana Fever star emphatically criticized such comments and supported her colleagues.

“It’s definitely upsetting. … Nobody really should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats,” Clark said [H/T IndyStar].

“Those aren’t fans, those are trolls. It’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the players in the WNBA, but there are a lot of really good fans, whether they’ve been fans for 20-plus years or whether they are new fans in our league.”

Caitlin Clark has been blamed for the terrible behavior of some of her alleged fans. But as Sue Bird clarified, they cannot be classified as fans of a certain player or a team.