A Diference of Opinion

Clare and I had a spirited—you might even say heated—discussion Monday night concerning Caitlin Clark. It started when I used gender to say just how good I think Clark is. To which my daughter answered, “She doesn’t have to play with boys.” Point taken. But, with all due respect, there remains a certain “separate but equal” aspect to women’s sports, especially the pro ones. Women’s basketball, golf and tennis professionals generates less income than its male counterparts. Absent a revolution both political and athletic, that’s not going to change anytime soon. The gulf between the two, though, can be made to shrink. The more women do just what men do on the court and the course, the harder it will be to justify pay differentials, or inequities, if you prefer. Same equipment, same rules, cue Ethel Merman telling Howard Keel, “I can do anything you can do better.” The thing about Clark is she’s been singing that song for a while. Her three’s are three’s anyway you measure them, and her passes are to die for. She could neve play a second in the WNBA and still conduct master classes for NBA point guards: “If you guys want to be really good, be like me, a girl.” Maybe that’s what I should’ve said on Monday.