Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick, made an appearance on Fox News this week to weigh in on the ongoing drama surrounding Caitlin Clark and the rest of the WNBA. Travis, known for his right-leaning views, suggested that Clark may be facing mistreatment due to her sexuality. He stated, “Caitlin Clark is a white heterosexual woman in a Black lesbian league and they resent and are jealous of all of the attention and the shoe deal that she got.”
Travis went on to theorize that the league’s resentment towards Clark stems from her being in a relationship with a former Iowa men’s basketball player, which contrasts with the sexual orientation of many WNBA players.
He added: “And I think her having a boyfriend, I think it’s a fiancé, who by the way said there needs to be an enforcer, creates two different identity politics universes that she doesn’t fit in in this league. They don’t like her cause she’s white and they don’t like her cause she’s straight.“
However, it’s important to note that Travis’ claim about 70 percent of WNBA players being lesbian is not backed by any credible source. In fact, a study conducted in 2022 found that approximately 38 percent of WNBA players identified as lesbian. This significantly contradicts Travis’ assertion and calls into question the basis of his argument.
Travis says Caitlin Clark is unwelcome in ‘lesbian’ WNBA
While it is true that prominent WNBA players such as Sue Bird, Brittney Griner, and Sheryl Swoopes have publicly come out as gay, it is disingenuous to generalize the entire league based on the sexual orientation of a few players. There are numerous straight players in the WNBA, including Caitlin Clark and rookie Angel Reese.
However, the figure given by Travis seems very high, as an Interbasket study conducted in 2022 notes that the number of players from the LGBTQ community was 30% that year, while an article by Autostraddle and another by WTNT note that there are currently 37 gay players in the league, out of 141 total. That is roughly 25%.
Travis’ comments raise important questions about the intersection of race, sexuality, and identity politics in professional sports. However, his sweeping generalizations about the WNBA and its players should be taken with caution, especially considering the lack of evidence to support his claims.