Latest drama around Caitlin Clark highlights absurdity of media coverage

Everybody loves the next best thing and this is especially true in the world of sports. When some fresh-faced athlete does something that’s never been done before – or perhaps not in a long time – people trip over themselves trying to come up with words of adulation.

This has certainly been the case with Caitlin Clark, who became one of the most decorated college basketball players ever. And while thus far her WNBA career hasn’t quite matched what she did at Iowa, this hasn’t stopped commentators and pontificators – both professional and amateur – from analyzing every aspect of every game she plays.

This scrutiny has also extended to things not happening on the court. Many people have argued that Clark is a boon to women’s basketball while others believe the coverage is overblown, with some even implying (or flat-out saying), that there is a racial component to all the attention she receives. Much digital ink has been spilled over the fact that Clark was left off the Team USA roster for the Olympics, although she herself said she wasn’t disappointed and that she now had something to work for.

The most glaring example of how the coverage of Clark has crossed normal bounds occurred when her Indiana Fever played the Chicago Sky on June 16. While Clark was driving to the basket for a layup, Angel Reese, attempted to swat the ball but got Clark’s head instead. It was a hard foul, but there was nothing malicious about it. But because Reese was assessed a flagrant foul for it – and due to their rivalry in college – the story blew up.

It became especially clear how silly things have gotten with Clark during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. When a P.J. Washington and Kristaps Porzingis tangle-up resulted in Washington throwing Porzingis to the ground, ESPN's Doris Burke remarked, "If that were Caitlin Clark, it might spark a debate for a week.”

Because of Clark's record-setting college career and the fact that she’s been so influential in driving the popularity of the WNBA, it’s no surprise that people are hanging on all that she does or has done to her. But it’s important to realize that not everything that happens is worth getting worked up about or perhaps even writing about. Sometimes a basketball game – even one in which Clark plays – can be boring. And that’s okay.