"Between this and ESPN openly calling her a villain, yikes": WNBA fans enraged after Shane Gillis makes controversial Caitlin Clark joke

Shane Gillis' joke about Caitlin Clark at the ESPYs on Wednesday has rubbed many fans the wrong way. Gillis poked fun at Clark over her physical battles with players in the WNBA.

"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 several alleged racist incidents, with fans of Clark and the Indiana Fever being accused. Over the past year, several players have raised issues about hostile environments when playing against the Fever.

The league and the WNBPA have been vigilant about investigating the complaints, and Clark is on the same page as them.

The Fever guard has also been involved in numerous confrontations with opposing players who have guarded her with what many claim to be excessive physicality.

Given the circumstances, though, not many online were fans of Gillis' joke, labelling it 'pathetic.'

Here's how WNBA fans reacted:

HannahA1707

@ali284400

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

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 ·

@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

Shame on you @Shanemgillis

V

@Ved_D22

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 the Fever star won an ESPY award on Wednesday. Amid the negativity surrounding the Fever superstar's growth and success, Chambers believes the ESPYs 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 could be controversial, given the events that have unfolded over the past few months. Many analysts and fans have given Angel Reese that tag in her rivalry with Clark, but the Sky star's supporters believe she isn't the "villain". Jemele Hill was one of the prominent personalities in the media space who shot down that notion.

Similarly, Clark's fans took issue to the Fever star being given the "villain" tag on Wednesday by Chambers. Their arguments were based on Clark bringing a positive impact to the WNBA and elevating the viewership.