Twain, Robinson, Clark

Did Mark Twain in fact say that history doesn’t repeat itself but does rhyme? If not, he should have. If not, others have. Either way, I detect a rhyme between Caitlin Clark and Jackie Robinson. Clark took another flagrant foul from the Sky on Sunday, and she reacted the exact same way, whether the shot was delivered by Chennedy Carter or Angel Reese—she got up, sank her free throws and played on. If she was seething inside, the rookie guard refused to show it. Not just the sports’ world is watching how Clark handles her rough treatment by WNBA opponents. Because Clark is white and most of the WNBA is not, every game she plays gets sucked into the culture wars that dominates American life these days. Last year, those very same culture warriors couldn’t name three WNBA players, but that’s all changed. A few days ago, Jim Trotter wrote a piece in The Athletic that felt more like a detailed critique of American foreign policy during the Cold War than a sports’ column. Trotter called out the 22-year old Clark for not disavowing—quickly enough—people who want to use her to further their racial agenda. Trotter failed to consider that Clark may be following the strategy Jackie Robinson employed his rookie season in 1947. He turned the other cheek, on Branch Rickey’s orders, if just for one season. Clark is not Robinson, but there’s more than one kind of rhyme.