Sports columnist apologizes for ‘oafish’ comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
CNN
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player. The Wednesday exchange went viral on social media, and critics said it underscored the difficulties many female athletes have in gaining respect and equal treatment from sports journalists, who are frequently male. The discussion began with Gregg Doyel, a columnist for The Indianapolis Star newspaper’s IndyStar website, making a heart with his hands to Clark, a gesture Clark often used during her college basketball career. Clark responded, “You like that?” Doyel replied, “I like that you’re here,” and Clark explained, “Yeah, I do that at my family after every game.” Then Doyel added, “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.” Doyel apologized later that same day. “Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature [heart hands emoji],” he wrote in a post on X shortly after the incident. “My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize.”