"Between this and ESPN openly calling her a villain, yikes": WNBA fans enraged after Shane Gillis targets Caitlin Clark with racially charged joke

Shane Gillis' joke on Caitlin Clark at the ESPYs on Wednesday may have gone too far. Gillis mocked Clark over her physical battles with players in the WNBA, with a racial undertone to it, as he specifically mentioned black women. Here's Gillis' joke:

"When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a waffle house so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting black women."

The WNBA has been at the center of controversy because of racism, with several Clark and the Indiana Fever fans being blamed for it. Over the past year, several players have raised issues about hostile environments when playing against Clark and Co.

The league and the WNBPA have been vigilant about investigating all complaints and Clark is on the same page as them. Given the circumstances, not many online were fans of Gillis' joke at the ESPYs, labelling it as downright 'pathetic.'

Here's how WNBA fans reacted:

HannahA1707

@ali284400

LINK

Meanwhile cc just trying to recover from injury after injury on top of the narrative’s in the media, I’m all for comedy testing the limits but there is such a thing as bad timing

summer

@summerbreez0019

LINK

Between this and ESPN openly calling her a villain, yikes. Aren’t we getting close to defamation here?

The network just keeps piling on. What did she do to them?

LAD2024WSC

@CCFC_LAD_LARAMS ·

LINK

@espn

with two below the belt hits on Caitlin Clark in one night the day after she’s injured for the 4th time this season. Great job! They should just make it official and put on a wnba ref jersey!

coop💥

@zmol65465

LINK

Shame on you

@Shanemgillis

V

@Ved_D22

LINK

What in the actual world is this? He couldn’t even talk to her when he saw her he was so nervous. And this is the joke he tells? She’s literally assaulted almost nightly on the court not vice versa. This is just weird man. That poor girl, everyone uses her name

Arielle Chambers says Caitlin Clark's "villain origin" story started after the ESPYs win

ESPN's Arielle Chambers labelled Caitlin Clark a "villain" after winning the ESPYs on Wednesday. Amid the negativity surrounding the Fever superstar's growth and success, Chambers believes the ESPY's win will play a significant role in Clark's story.

"I see just exponential growth of the game, right?" Chambers said. "She brings eyes to the game, so the next generation can come out and thrive. Just a dynamic player, just dynamic to watch. Her villain origin story has started and she loves to play into it and the fans eat it right up."

The "villain" label has created controversy over the past few months, especially surrounding the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese debates. Reese has been given that tag, but her supporters in the media and fans believe she isn't the "villain" in Clark's story.

Jemele Hill was one of the prominent personalities in the media space who shot down that notion around Reese. After Clark was given the "villain" tag on Wednesday by Chambers, her fans raised an issue with that, too.

Their arguments were based around Clark bringing a positive impact to the WNBA and elevating the viewership with her following, ultimately keeping her far away from being considered a "villain/"