The WNBA had another golden opportunity this weekend to lean fully into the biggest star the league has produced in decades.
And once again, it chose not to.
Ahead of Sunday’s nationally televised doubleheader on NBC and Peacock, the league released a promotional graphic highlighting featured players from the participating teams. Included were established stars like A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese. But when it came to representing the Indiana Fever, the WNBA didn’t feature Caitlin Clark — arguably the most recognizable player in women’s basketball and the clear driver of the league’s recent explosion in popularity.
Instead, the graphic featured rookie Raven Johnson.
Johnson is averaging 1.0 points per game this season.
Clark, meanwhile, entered the matchup as the face of the league, the centerpiece of television ratings growth, merchandise sales, sold-out arenas, and nearly every major conversation surrounding women’s basketball over the past two years.
Naturally, fans immediately noticed the omission.
And at this point, many observers no longer believe these repeated exclusions are accidental.
Do not disturb, the W is on today 😏
The @LVAces visit the @AtlantaDream for a must-watch matchup at 1:30pm/ET on NBC and Peacock.
Then, the @seattlestorm face-off against the @IndianaFever at 6pm/ET on NBCSN and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/mMDfp34EUU
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2026
Throughout Clark’s short WNBA career, the league has repeatedly minimized her in official promotions, social media campaigns, and marketing material despite overwhelming evidence that she is the league’s primary attraction. Television ratings spike when she plays. Ticket prices surge. Opposing arenas sell out. Merchandise flies off shelves.
Yet the league often appears strangely hesitant to fully embrace her.
Imagine the NBA in the 1990s advertising games without Michael Jordan. Imagine today’s NFL promoting a marquee matchup while leaving Patrick Mahomes off the graphic. Sports leagues traditionally center their biggest stars because doing otherwise makes absolutely no business sense.
Unless something else is driving the decision-making.
The tension surrounding Clark has increasingly become entangled with race and identity politics inside the broader sports-media ecosystem.
Critics of Clark’s popularity have repeatedly insisted her fame stems primarily from her being a straight white woman from Iowa rather than from her historic college career, elite shooting ability, and transformational impact on women’s basketball viewership.
That narrative has created an uncomfortable dynamic where some media figures and people surrounding the league seem almost reluctant to acknowledge her dominance too enthusiastically for fear of appearing politically incorrect or insufficiently supportive of other players.
The latest controversy surrounding Clark only intensified that atmosphere.
Over the weekend, Clark appeared alongside country music star Morgan Wallen during a concert entrance, sparking outrage from several online commentators and sports-media personalities. Critics attempted to frame the appearance as politically or culturally problematic despite the fact that numerous Black athletes — including Patrick Mahomes, Myles Garrett, and Marshawn Lynch — previously appeared publicly with Wallen without generating comparable backlash.
One ESPN-affiliated writer even accused Clark of embodying a “scary” form of “whiteness” simply because of the concert appearance.
The reaction reinforced what many Clark supporters increasingly believe: that portions of the sports-media world are deeply uncomfortable with just how popular she has become.
And instead of simply capitalizing on her star power, the WNBA often seems trapped trying to navigate ideological sensitivities around race, representation, and identity.
Meanwhile, Clark continues doing what stars do.
In Sunday’s game against Seattle, she finished with 21 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds while leading Indiana to an 89-78 victory.
Raven Johnson — the player featured over her in the promotional graphic — did not score.
That contrast only amplified the criticism.
