WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita is worried for Caitlin Clark’s mental health amid the constant media attention since Wednesday’s incident with Alyssa Thomas. While the outrage against Thomas has dominated headlines, Clark, despite being at the receiving end of a Flagrant 2 foul, has faced scrutiny, too.
One of the most polarizing takes surfaced on Sunday, when former FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho claimed that the league doesn’t need her anymore. Acho added that she’s a bigger distraction than an additive. He believes Clark took the WNBA to new heights and made people see there are better players, so now it doesn’t matter if she sticks around.
Acho’s clip received three million-plus views and thousands of reactions, mostly calling him out for being unfair. DeMita called it disrespectful, but not just that, she also felt emotional towards Clark, who is receiving criticism despite leaving that game with a back injury.
“I am worried about her mental [Health]… Just imagine, I think she’s like 24. Imagine being 24 years old, every single day you’re in the news,” DeMita said on Monday on her podcast, Courtside Club. “You’re in the news no matter what you do. Some people love you, some people hate you. You have mainstream media, you have local news talking about… a nighttime podcast, Stephen A. Smith, you have players that you’ve played with talking about this…”
Rachel DeMita cited other factors, such as the criticism that coach Stephanie White is getting from Caitlin Clark’s supporters, which, ultimately, even in her support, is still “noise.” On top of criticism about other things, Clark is still getting over the mental hurdles of recovering from last season’s injuries and is dealing with lingering issues this year as well.
DeMita said it’s one thing that she’s not getting enough sympathy, but opinions from the likes of Acho are presumably making things worse.
“On the flipside, it’s not even sympathy, it’s like, ‘You should just leave, you should just go. The league is better off without you,'” DeMita said.
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Caitlin Clark hasn’t addressed any of the noise surrounding this. She missed the Fever’s last game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks after reinjuring her back in Wednesday’s controversial game against the Phoenix Mercury.
Riley Gaines Claps Back At Emmanuel Acho, Claims Caitlin Clark Would Be Better Off Without WNBA
Riley Gaines was among those to clap back at Emmanuel Acho’s viral take. The Fox News anchor dropped a polar-opposite take from what Acho said.
“The league wouldn’t be better off without Caitlin Clark, but she would be better off without the league. Caitlin Clark is the best thing to ever happen to the WNBA,” Gaines wrote on X on Monday.
Several of Clark’s well-wishers have made this suggestion, requesting her to leave the WNBA and play in a league that appreciates her. They believe such a move would see the WNBA return to its pre-Clark era, when the league mostly endured losses and didn’t have as much traction, players flew commercial, and weren’t paid nine-figure salaries.
Read more:
- Caitlin Clark’s Book’s Author Stirs Fresh Controversy After Revealing WNBPA Has Declined to Comment on Alyssa Thomas’ “Fist to Neck”
- Emmanuel Acho’s Caitlin Clark Criticism Didn’t Sit Well With NCAAB Insider
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