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TIME Magazine named Caitlin Clark as its Athlete of the Year, and some people are really not happy about it, and that includes Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson.

You’d think folks in the WNBA would just be happy that the attention that Clark gets has helped the entire league. A “rising tide raises all boats,” kind of situation.

Nope. It’s wrong of Caitlin Clark to get these accolades because she’s white or because it’s the media’s fault.

“It has taken the WNBA almost 28 years to get to the point where we are now,” Johnson said in an interview with CNN. “And this year, something clicked with the WNBA and it’s because of the draft and the players that came in. It’s not just Caitlin Clark, it’s (Angel) Reese.”

“We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don’t think we can pin it on just one player.”

First of all, that hilarious community note. According to Johnson, the league’s recent success isn’t because of Clark… even though 31 percent of home attendance for Mystics games last season came from games against Clark and the Fever. 

One of those games even set a WNBA attendance record.

But let’s hear Johnson out because maybe she’s not completely nuts here… maybe.

“It’s just the structure of the way media plays out race. I feel really bad because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never got the recognition that they should have and I think right now, it is time for that to happen,” she said.

Oh boy…

I’m all for giving players of the past their due, and with more interest in the league, that will happen. But it’s wild to say that it’s the media’s fault. I’m sure you’ve seen some work from WNBA journalists, and saying that they don’t cover players of color the right way is an absurd take. If anything, the coverage goes quite a way in the other direction.

But Johnson had a solution.

“You read TIME Magazine, where Caitlin Clark was named athlete of the year, why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on that cover? And said, ‘The WNBA is the league of the year, because of all the talent that we have.’”

So… you want TIME to dish out a participation award?

Look, like it or not, Clark raised the entire league’s profile, that’s a good thing for all parties involved. Right, Sheila?

Right?!

Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson wants to know why TIME Magazine put Caitlin Clark on the cover instead of the whole league. (Getty Images)

Johnson Says Singling Out Clark ‘Creates Hard Feelings’

“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings and now you’re starting to hear stories of racism within the WNBA, and I don’t want to hear that,” Johnson said. “We have got to operate and become stronger as a league and respect everyone that’s playing and respect their talents.”

Jeez… look, no one wants to hear about racism, but saying you shouldn’t single out an exceptional player for an exceptional body of work, is just pure lunacy. 

It goes against the very ethos of sports.

Newsflash, Sheila, not everyone is as talented as everyone else. I know that hurts to hear, but Caitlin Clark is better than the overwhelming majority of WNBA players. It’s just the truth. If they want to be better, get in the gym and shoot a billion three-pointers.

No one is entitled to success and accolades. You’ve got to work for it, or, at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work, instead of slapping the entire league on a magazine cover.

You wouldn’t think you’d have to explain this concept to someone who owns a team, but nothing makes sense anymore.