Published on April 3, 2024, 12:31 am

There have been recent claims of an alleged “sports race war” connected with the Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who recently aided her team in gaining a confirmed spot in the Final Four against LSU. Renowned columnist Jemele Hill has inferred that racial biases are influencing perceptions and narratives surrounding Clark’s soaring popularity.

Hill, contending on Dan Le Batard’s show, pointed out that viewers are imposing their prejudiced assumptions onto Clark, hence using her as a pawn in what she terms as a ‘sport race war.’ She questions why Clark, being from Iowa – a true representation of middle America – isn’t simply seen as such.

It is essential to clarify that there is no concrete evidence to establish that the admiration garnered by Clark is rooted in racial predilection. The fact remains that she stands tall not just because of her skin color or origin but due to her exceptional talent; presently crowning her the best female college basketball player.

However, for Hill, it appears that the immense love for Clark absolutely has to correlate with some form of racial bias. According to Hill’s perspective, it seems others can be credited for instigating this so-called “sports race wars”. Remember though, sports typically bypasses the spectrum of race and focuses primarily on prowess and individual skill.

Presently dominating women’s college basketball happens to be a Caucasian player – Clark; however, it doesn’t necessarily have to link back to race always. Nonetheless, Hill seems determined on viewing everything through racially tinged spectacles – evident through various instances where she perpetually turns both political and sports topics into issues about racism.

Regrettably though, rather than standing as an impartial observer or commentator across sporting events like these visionary athletic counterparts do, Hills appears more focused on playing up each incident as an act potentiated by racial discrimination rather than evaluating pure skill set displayed at play itself.

Looking objectively at the past patterns put forth by Jemele Hill, it’s clear that she has been more instrumental in further fueling these “sports race wars” and fanning divisiveness within the sports fraternity than any other individual or group.

Note: This article has been subject to revision post-publication to correct an inaccurate statement – Iowa’s win now propels them towards the Final Four, instead of claiming national championship victory.