Stop Hatin' on Caitlin:
Poor starts have happened to Pete Maravich, Venus Williams, Troy Aikman and Lionel Messi. Let's take a breath.
Not even two weeks into her WNBA career, the most famous female basketball player on earth has had a game with 10 turnovers, sprained an ankle, gotten a technical foul and seen her team lose all five of its games. No, it’s not the start that Caitlin Clark probably envisioned, and yes, it has brought out the customary braying from the subset of humans – not a small one – who delight in other people’s miseries, or at least their struggles. When you become a household name in not much more than the time it takes to hit a logo 3, there is always going to be backlash, whether it’s racial in nature (Jemele Hill: "We would all be very naive if we didn’t say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity.”) or simply driven by jealousy or over-the-top fandom. The fact is that one of America’s favorite sports is tearing people down, and that’s why I think the best thing Clark can do is to heed the wisdom of LeBron James, as articulated on his podcast with J.J. Redick.
“My advice to Caitlin, and my advice to anyone that comes in with this level of notoriety*, out-of-this-world expectation, whatever the case may be, be a horse, man. The Kentucky Derby. Put your blinders on, go to work, show up to work, punch your clock in, prepare yourself, work on your game, work on your craft.”
James went on to talk about the way Clark plays before sellout crowds everywhere she plays, and is a huge ratings magnet.
The one thing that I love that she's bringing to her sport? More people want to watch. More people want to tune in. Don't get it twisted. Don't get it f**ked up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things are going to happen for the WNBA. But for her individually, I don't think she should get involved on nothing that's being said. Just go have fun. Enjoy. I'm rooting for Caitlin because I've been in that seat before. I've walked that road before. I hope she kills it.”
Caitlin Clark isn’t a Coffey Grounds subscriber (yet), but I’d like to offer a bit of perspective to remind her that she has plenty of company in starting her professional career slowly. Pete Maravich, the player whose NCAA scoring record she broke and whose game hers is most often compared to, shot 6-for-25 in his first three games for the Atlanta Hawks as an NBA rookie in 1970-71. The Hawks lost 12 of their first 15. In one game, Maravich managed to take 10 shots in 13 minutes, making only one. He finished with five points in another Hawks’ defeat.
He was on the NBA All-Rookie team by the end of the year, and in the Hall of Fame by the end of his career.
Tennis icon Venus Williams began her pro career by getting drubbed by top-ranked Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. Williams didn’t break into the top 10 – or win her first tournament - until her third year on the WTA tour.
How about Troy Aikman, three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback? In his first game for the Cowboys, in 1989, he went 17-for-35 for 180 yards with two interceptions in a 28-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He had eight interceptions in his first five games and didn’t win a single game all season.
But maybe the most ignominious debut of a legendary athlete belongs to Lionel Messi, who earned his first cap for Argentina on Aug. 2, 2005 against Hungary. Entering the game in the 65th minute, Messi, wearing No. 18 in blue and white, was making a run through the middle when Vilmos Vanczak, a Hungarian defender, grabbed his shirt and held on tight, prompting Messi to strike Vanczak in the face with his hand. Two minutes into his Argentine career, Messi was red-carded out of the game after playing for all of about two minutes. Here’s the clip:
So take heart, Caitlin Clark. In not very long, nobody will remember the way your career started.
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*Today’s grammar note: James misused notoriety as a synonym for fame. Many people do it. Notoriety happens when you are infamous, not famous. There is a big difference.