The discourse around Caitlin Clark and the WNBA proves the world isn't ready to treat it like the sport it is

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners. Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate you.

What a miserable day of discourse Monday was. The most toxic parts of the Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter conversation morphed into something it should never have turned into. A simple (albeit hard) foul turned into a vehicle for everyone to push whatever agendas they had for women’s basketball.

People like Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe pushed the narrative on First Take that all women in the WNBA must be jealous of Clark because of the money and attention she’s getting and, as a result, are now being overly physical with her.

Then you had Monica McNutt pushing back and (I think rightfully) calling out Stephen A. and First Take for not driving the conversation around women’s basketball sooner, which then devolved into another thing entirely.

READ MORE: Monica McNutt is right

Alongside that, the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board (which is distinctly different from its sports department, by the way) is postulating that Carter’s foul on Clark would be considered assault if it didn’t happen on a basketball court. The board also asserts that if the league “chews up and spits out” Clark with its physical play instead of protecting her because “it’s too afraid of being called racist” then it’ll lose a chunk of its new audience.

Along those same lines, Pat McAfee decided to use his massive platform to belittle the rest of the WNBA’s rookie class and their contributions to the league’s boom while also calling Caitlin Clark the “one white [expletive] for the Indiana team who is a superstar.” I’m sure you can guess what the expletive was.

READ MORE: The Pat McAfee show is a huge problem ESPN has brought on itself

To make a story that can get even longer a bit shorter, it was a rough day. By the end, no one was talking about Caitlin Clark and the WNBA anymore. Everyone was just talking about themselves, which is usually how conversations across the internet go. People project and throw their own sensibilities into the pot instead of just cooking with the ingredients at hand. It’s never surprising when it gets a little (or a lot!) messy.

The WNBA is, indeed, in the midst of a watershed moment. It’s hit the mainstream in a major way. It’s leading the biggest network shows on television, driving conversations across social media and drawing eyeballs that wouldn’t have even given the league a first glance a few months ago.

What has been made clear to me through all of this, though, is that we are not ready for this moment. When I say we, I mean everybody. The fans and audience, the media, sponsors. The whole shebang. We’re not ready to cover and consume this sports league like the sports league that it is.

As I’ve said, it’s unfair to both Caitlin Clark and the entirety of the WNBA that whenever something happens to this woman — whenever someone gives her even a slight nudge or some side-eye — it becomes the talk of the town. It just has to be made into more than what it is. The other players have to be jealous and resentful. Clark has to be protected and coddled.

But isn’t this basketball we’re talking about? Can these ladies just hoop? Let’s be real: The Chennedy Carter foul wasn’t even that bad. It was a simple hip check that looked a lot worse in slow motion than it did live. It’s not even the worst foul we’ve seen this season on a rookie — just ask Angel Reese. That’s sports. Sometimes things get heated. Sometimes, you throw a bow, and the other player retaliates. It happens.

And, you know what? Maybe some players don’t like Clark. Maybe some of them are jealous — watching someone get a $28 million Nike deal without playing a single minute in the pros might stoke some of those flames. She also appears to talk a lot of trash herself. But you know what? Who cares? That’s how it works.

But so many elements are getting in the way of that here. To this point, people have been unable to compartmentalize.

As ESPN’s Elle Duncan has pointed out, new fans of the game are babying Clark because they’re uncomfortable watching women compete this way. The dynamic of race also can’t be ignored here either. Clark is a white woman playing in a league of mostly Black women. It’s not a mistake that she’s coddled here while her counterparts are villainized.

The money plays a role, too. Clark has undoubtedly brought new eyes and dollars to the WNBA’s doorstep. To be clear, the league was growing before Clark ever stepped foot in it. But she’s been a massive catalyst in speeding things up — sometimes at an unhealthy pace.

But when you strip all of that away, what are we talking about? It’s just basketball. When you strip everything down, the game’s competitive nature is the only thing left. And it’s compelling, too!

If Michael Jordan didn’t get beat up by the Detroit Pistons, he wouldn’t be Michael Jordan. If LeBron James didn’t get locked up in the 2010 NBA Finals by JJ Barea, he wouldn’t be LeBron James. Caitlin Clark is going to go through her lumps. I don’t know where she’ll end up on the other side of it all — hopefully, she’ll be great. But, regardless, her peers are going to test her. That’s what makes this all work.

I’m begging us as fans, media and everything in between to remember that while we’re watching these games. Then, maybe, we can finally have a little fun with this.

Could the Bears be a Super Bowl team?

Chicago has had a fantastic offseason between adding Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the NFL draft while also stacking talent in free agency.

But is this team already good enough to be a Super Bowl contender next year? Rich Eisen seems to think so.

“I’m saying the best-case scenario for the Bears is this kid [Caleb Williams] takes them to the Super Bowl [59],” Eisen said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I’m saying that’s the best-case scenario, the glass couldn’t be more half-full if this happens.”

Our Robert Zeglinski is pumping the brakes on that.

“I think Williams can certainly elevate Chicago to a playoff contender who gives some of the other NFC superpowers a legitimate run for their money. There is enough talent on this roster on both sides of the ball — Williams, D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Jaylon Johnson, Montez Sweat — to expect an enjoyable Bears season. Chicago should be one of the more watchable NFL teams this fall.

But without Williams throwing a single regular-season pass, predicting a playoff berth feels like a stretch. Even when setting aside a tough and challenging NFC North division, there is no proof in the pudding quite yet. To take it further and say Williams will lead the Bears to only their third NFC title in franchise history as a rookie is absurd. It is June 3, everyone.”

Fair take!

READ MORE: Could the Bears compete for a Super Bowl this year?

Do ya dance, Coco!

Coco Gauff had an epic comeback win against Ons Jabeur to advance to the semifinal of the French Open.

Gauff trailed 2-1 early in the first set and ultimately lost 4-6. But she rallied back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 to earn herself a spot in the final four at Roland-Garros.

How’d she celebrate? With this goofy dance.

Coco has joined the dance challenge #RolandGarros @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/51UMNzoRwT

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2024

Never change, Coco Gauff. Never change.

READ MORE: Coco Gauff’s silly dance is so wholesome.

Quick hits: Clipped is finally here … More on the Carter foul … and more

— With Hulu’s new “Clipped” series on the Clippers-Donald Sterling drama finally being released, Byran Kalbrosky has more on the cast and how closely they resemble their real-life counterparts.

— Here’s Cory Woodroof with six ways ESPN addressed Chennedy Carter’s foul on Caitlin Clark Monday.

— This knuckleball from Matt Waldron was so insane he confused his own catcher. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

— Pat McAfee doubled down on stupid. Never double down on stupid. Meg Hall has more.

— Is this the most dramatic bunt ever? Probably. Here’s Charles again with more.

— Angel Reese is ready to be the “bad guy” when it comes to the Caitlin Clark discourse and I love her so much for that.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading. Have a fantastic Tuesday. Let’s talk again tomorrow. Peace.

-Sykes