{"id":253310,"date":"2026-07-23T20:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/caitlin-clark-article-referencing-emmett-till-case-sparks-backlash-usa-today-apologizes\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T20:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:12:21","slug":"caitlin-clark-article-referencing-emmett-till-case-sparks-backlash-usa-today-apologizes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/caitlin-clark-article-referencing-emmett-till-case-sparks-backlash-usa-today-apologizes\/","title":{"rendered":"Caitlin Clark Article Referencing Emmett Till Case Sparks Backlash; &#8216;USA Today&#8217; Apologizes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>An article criticizing the on-court behavior of WNBA star Caitlin Clark sparked major backlash today.<\/p>\n<p>And the discourse surrounding the controversial<em> USA Today <\/em>piece has spread well beyond the world of sports.<\/p>\n<p>The article \u2014 written by sports columnist Nancy Armour \u2014 starts with a simple enough premise:<\/p>\n<p>Armour argues that Clark has engaged in strategic \u201cflopping\u201d and has argued with refs with the goal of receiving undeserved fouls.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Caitlin Clark attends the 2024 A Year In TIME dinner at Current at Chelsea Piers on December 11, 2024 in New York City.\" class=\"wp-image-559671 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2189499138-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caitlin Clark attends the 2024 A Year In TIME dinner at Current at Chelsea Piers on December 11, 2024 in New York City. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Jason Mendez\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The article was originally titled, \u201cCaitlin Clark\u2019s reaction to non-calls puts other players at risk,\u201d but the headline now reads, \u201cCaitlin Clark\u2019s flopping isn\u2019t just annoying \u2014 it\u2019s becoming dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe irony of the WNBA\u2019s All-Star Game is that it\u2019s happening this weekend in Chicago, the hometown of Emmett Till, who became an icon of the civil rights movement after his tragic murder,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/columnist\/nancy-armour\/2026\/07\/22\/caitlin-clarks-reaction-to-noncalls-puts-wnba-players-at-risk\/91002124007\/?taid=6a60c8374bd5dd000191598c&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Armour writes<\/a> in the piece, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn\u2019t been lynched. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile it\u2019s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the broader implications of her actions being weaponized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The use of Till\u2019s name sparked outrage, but the claim that Clark is being supported by white supremacist groups created an even bigger uproar:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"\/>\n<p>\u201cIt seems there is a white nationalist faction to Clark\u2019s fandom that is deeply, deeply problematic, made even more so because the WNBA is made up predominantly of Black women, many of them queer,\u201d Armour writes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Clark claims fouls that don\u2019t exist, when she goes on profanity-laced tirades at referees, those racists see her as a white woman in need of saving and take matters into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That assertion may be entirely true, but Armour should support such a bold claim with substantive evidence and not a mere \u201cit seems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the hours since it was published, the article has received significant criticism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI honestly cannot believe this made it past the editor. And I\u2019m a Democrat. This is literally nonsense,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Amy_Siskind\/status\/2080259208050577502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">author Amy Siskind wrote<\/a> of the piece on X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven as a fan, I believe CC does complain too much and she can be overly dramatic. But that is not where Nancy Armour took this nonsense,\u201d another commenter wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead, she connected two debatable basketball plays, a disgusting racist message, and the murder of Emmett Till to argue that Clark is somehow putting other players in danger. That is an enormous and irresponsible leap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That commenter concluded: \u201cThis article is disgusting and so is Nancy for writing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Even as a fan, I believe CC does complain too much and she can be overly dramatic. <\/p>\n<p>But that is not where Nancy Armour took this nonsense. <\/p>\n<p>Instead, she connected two debatable basketball plays, a disgusting racist message, and the murder of Emmett Till to argue that Clark is\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 J.D.C (@starbuck_1973) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/starbuck_1973\/status\/2080021777867059289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">July 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The situation prompted Armour to post an explanation, reading:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my recent column, I made an inartful comparison with the murder of Emmett Till. I intended to connect the issues the WNBA is currently facing with its All-Star Game being hosted in Till\u2019s hometown of Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI obviously did not provide enough context for that. However, this point stands: There is a history in this country of perceived threats to white women being weaponized against African-Americans, and the danger that poses to Black players in the league.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlayers have been abused online and have reported receiving death threats. That has to be taken more seriously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI sincerely regret that my lack of appropriate context is overshadowing that important conversation and the action that needs to be taken by the WNBA to address it directly \u2013 for the benefit of ALL players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current version of the article begins with disclaimer explaining that the piece has been \u201cupdated to provide further context and clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caitlin Clark has not yet publicly responded to the controversy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/07\/caitlin-clark-article-referencing-emmett-till-case-sparks-backlash-usa-today-apologizes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes An article criticizing the on-court behavior of WNBA star Caitlin Clark sparked major backlash today. And the discourse surrounding the controversial USA Today piece has spread well beyond the world of sports. The article \u2014 written by sports columnist Nancy Armour \u2014 starts with a simple enough premise: Armour argues that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":253311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-253310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}