Pat McAfee Apologizes to WNBA's Caitlin Clark for Controversial Comments in Video

ESPN's Pat McAfee apologized for referring to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark as a "white b---h" on his show Monday.

"I shouldn't have used 'white b---h' as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark," he said in a post on X. "No matter the context.. even if we're talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.

"My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn't at all. That's 100% on me and for that I apologize… I have sent an apology to Caitlin as well."

During his show, McAfee pointed toward the continuing rise in the attention paid to the WNBA. He argued a disproportionate credit for that was due to Clark, at least among her 2024 draft peers, saying that "there's one white b---h for the Indiana team who is a superstar."

ESPN is the WNBA's biggest media partner, so having a personality as prominent as McAfee calling an emerging star a "b---h" is problematic for obvious reasons.

That he went out of his way to close his apology by saying, "Everything else I said… still alllllll facts" will also anger the fans who took issue with the basic premise behind his argument.

There's no disputing Clark gained a massive following at Iowa, which has translated early in her WNBA career. The 2024 draft broadcast set a viewership record, and Fever broadcasts are drawing a large audience. Indiana is leading the WNBA in average attendance, per Across the Timeline, too.

But it's worth putting that in a broader context.

Viewership for WNBA national TV games increased by 21 percent in 2023, and attendance was its highest since 2008. In terms of the metrics for 2024, Sports Media Watch' Jon Lewis noted how games that didn't feature Clark and the Fever were getting better ratings than past equivalents.

Beyond that, the Los Angeles Sparks are seeing an attendance bump themselves—despite not even starting the year in their home area—with No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink showcasing some of her massive potential. The Chicago Sky are fully capitalizing on the arrivals of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso as well.

This doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. Pointing to Clark alone for the current wave of popularity that the WNBA is enjoying isn't correct and does a disservice to her current peers and those who came before her.