Caitlin Clark Sends Strong Message on ‘False Perception’ Created By Social Media

Clark’s star-power and the frequent discourse around her, especially on social media, is still ever-present even in a year that’s been plagued by injuries. For whatever reason, a lot of this discourse involving Clark is often negative in online spheres.

Appearing on a live podcast episode of A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe released on July 21, Clark touched on the disconnect between online criticism and real-life support she feels from fans around the country.

“You have to remember, social media is such a false perception of reality,” Clark said. “Even for myself, you don’t always realize that at times. It’s not the real world.”

“When I show up to arenas, those are the moments that really remind me of how many people are really there supporting and loving [me]. The little boys and the little girls, those aren’t the people that are on social media caring about every decision you make or every comment you make.”

“At the same time, I just try to show up every day and be myself and be authentically me,” Clark continued. “Whether that’s hard questions or hard moments, whatever it is, I think you kinda just take it as it goes. I always try to remind myself how lucky I am to be here and be in this position too.”

Clark embodies the idea of “playing under a microscope,” where everything she says or does becomes a topic of discourse no matter how minuscule it might seem. It’s tough for any player to deal with this type of scrutiny, but Clark seems to have the right idea in terms of recognizing the importance of real-life interactions over what you read on social media.

Now Fever fans just need to see Clark back on the court. She is progressing with her groin injury according to Fever head coach Stephanie White, but isn’t expected to play when Indiana returns to action on Tuesday night against the Liberty.