Sunny Hostin is happy to praise Caitlin Clark for her work in women’s basketball, but she said there’s a lot more to the story.
Hostin, 55, said on The View on May 22: “I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege.” “There’s something called white privilege.” It’s known as “tall privilege.” We need to take that into account.
Clark, 22, made her highly expected WNBA debut on May 14 with the Indiana Fever. While at Iowa, she set the school record for most points scored in a basketball game. After the incident, Jemele Hill, a former ESPN host, told the Los Angeles Times in an article that Clark’s race has “played a role in her popularity.” The article came out on May 20.
She agreed with Hostin and said, “I do think she is more relatable to more people because she is white and pretty.”
Additionally, Hostin said that Clark’s sexuality—she has been dating boyfriend Connor McCaffrey since August 2023—also played a part in her rapid rise as a basketball star.
There is still that stigma against the LGBTQ+ group, which is sad, Hostin said. A third of the WNBA players identify as LGBTQ+, and 70% of the players are black. This country needs to do something about that shame. “I believe people have a problem with lesbian women who play basketball.”
Then Whoopi Goldberg, the host of The View, spoke up and made fun of Hostin’s position.
“If a lesbian doesn’t tell you, you can’t believe it!” “Goldberg, 68,” she said. “You don’t just look over and say, ‘Oh, there’s one!'” “You don’t know!”
Goldberg strongly supported Clark, saying that Hill’s downplaying of Clark’s achievements “bothered me a lot.” She also said that Clark is getting all of her attention and endorsement deals because “she’s a damn good player.”
Goldberg said, “It doesn’t matter if she’s straight or gay.” “Nobody’s crying!”
Goldberg, who has long been a strong backer of women’s sports, said earlier in the segment that some of the talk about Clark and race could lead to dangerous conclusions.
People saying things like that are like saying, ‘Oh, you only got into this Ivy League school because you’re Black,'” Goldberg said. “This girl deserved it.” There are great players, but no one else has done this.
Clark and the Fever play again on May 22 at 10 p.m. ET against the Seattle Storm. You can watch the game on Prime Video.
