Serena Williams Uses ESPYs Monologue To Suggest Only White People Like Caitlin Clark

Serena Williams was the host of last night’s ESPYs award show, and she did a fairly good job all things considered. But during her initial monologue, the 23-time Grand Slam champion used a joke about Caitlin Clark to serve up some racism.

Jul 11, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA;  Former tennis star Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before hosting the 2024 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

During her opening remarks, Williams joked about everything from Drake’s ongoing beef with Kendrick Lamar to Shohei Ohtani losing millions in his interpreter’s gambling scandal. Additionally, she poked fun at the Indiana Fever guard, but it took an unnecessary racial turn.

"Caitlin Clark had an amazing year and is nominated for three awards," Williams said. "You are the Larry Bird in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana, and white people are really crazy about you." 

Now on its surface, this isn’t really the worst thing I’ve ever heard, and the first two parts of her joke are true. Clark has been referred to as the WNBA’s Larry Bird in the past, and she does have ties to Indiana thanks to her pro team. And as far as race-baiting goes, it’s pretty tame.

But do we absolutely need this in a monologue? No. Could we afford to live without it and still have a fairly funny monologue? Yes.

Insinuating that only white people are fans of Caitlin Clark is as counterproductive as it is false. It further continues to make Clark and her success another method by which we make anything about her tied to race. 

Read: WNBA Star Foolishly Claims People Like Caitlin Clark Because She's White

Plus, it’s thoroughly disingenuous to say that Clark only has white fans. Not only has she brought the WNBA record viewership numbers for many of her games, she has also helped other teams bring in record attendance for games against the Fever.

I mean, just look at these crowds for her games against the Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces, respectively.

Now I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but even with my elementary deductive skills I’d think it’s safe to assume that there’s a decent chunk of non-white Clark fans in these stadiums, and elsewhere. 

Even so, Williams wants us to believe that in all of those crowds (and every other massive gathering of fans) only white people care about Clark.

That’s a load of nonsense. Williams deserves an ESPY for being the biggest liar in sports.