Sports
Caitlin Clark, Christine Brennan and how racial stereotypes persist in the media’s WNBA coverage
Molly Yanity, University of Rhode Island
The “Caitlin Clark effect,” or the impact on women’s basketball from a ponytailed rookie phenomenon from America’s heartland, is real: The 2024 WNBA season shattered viewership, attendance and merchandise sales records.
Clark, however, didn’t get a chance to compete for a league title.
The Connecticut Sun eliminated Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, in the first round of the playoffs with a two-game sweep, ending her record rookie-of-the-year campaign.
And it may be just the latest chapter in a complicated saga steeped in race.
During the first game of the series, the fingers of Sun guard DiJonai Carrington hit Clark in the eye as Carrington followed through on a block attempt of a Clark shot.
During the next day’s media availability, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan recorded and posted an exchange between herself and Carrington.
In the brief clip, the veteran sports writer asks Carrington, who is Black, if she purposely hit Clark in the eye during the previous night’s game. Though Carrington insisted she didn’t intentionally hit Clark, Brennan persisted, asking the guard if she and a teammate had laughed about the incident. The questions sparked social media outrage, statements from the players union and the league, media personalities weighing in and more.
Hit the pause button here.
As a longtime sports writer who has covered the WNBA – and as a journalism scholar who studies women’s sports and fandom – I’ll concede that Brennan’s line of questioning seems, on its face, like business as usual in sports journalism.
After all, haven’t most baseball fans seen a scribe ask a pitcher if he intentionally beaned a batter?
But Brennan’s questions were not asked in a vacuum. The emergence of a young, white superstar from the heartland has caused many new WNBA fans to pick sides that fall along racial lines. Brennan’s critics claim she was pushing a line of questioning that has dogged Black athletes for decades: that they are aggressive and undisciplined.
Because of that, her defense of her questions – and her unwillingness to acknowledge the complexities – has left this professor disappointed in one of her journalistic heroes.
Brennan and much of the mainstream sports media, particularly those who cover professional women’s basketball, still seem to have a racial blind spot.
The emergence of a Black, queer league
When the WNBA launched in 1997 in the wake of the success of the 1996 Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s basketball team, it did so under the watch of the NBA.
The NBA set out to market its new product, in part, to a white, heterosexual fan base.
The plan didn’t take hold.
While the league experienced fits and starts in attendance and TV ratings over its lifetime, the demographic makeup of its players is undeniable: The WNBA is, by and large, a Black, queer league.
In 2020, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association reported that 83% of its members were people of color, with 67% self-reporting as “Black/African-American.” While gender and sexual identity hasn’t been officially reported, a “substantial proportion,” the WNBPA reported, identify as LBGTQ+.
In 2020, the league’s diversity was celebrated as players competed in a “bubble” in Bradenton, Florida, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They protested racial injustice, helped unseat a U.S. senator who also owned Atlanta’s WNBA franchise, and urged voters to oust former President Donald Trump from the White House.
Racial tensions bubble to the surface
In the middle of it all, the WNBA has more eyeballs on it than ever before. And, without mincing words, the fan base has “gotten whiter” since Clark’s debut this past summer, as The Wall Street Journal pointed out in July. Those white viewers of college women’s basketball have emphatically turned their attention to the pro game, in large part due to Clark’s popularity at the University of Iowa.
Money is also pouring into the league through a lucrative media rights deal and new sponsorship partners.
While the rising tide following Clark’s transition to the WNBA is certainly lifting all boats, it is also bringing detritus to the surface in the form of racist jeers from the stands and on social media.
After the Sun dispatched the Fever, All-WNBA forward Alyssa Thomas, who seldom speaks beyond soundbites, said in a postgame news conference: “I think in my 11-year career I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base. … I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it.”
Echoes of Bird and Magic
In “Manufacturing Consent,” a seminal work about the U.S. news business, Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky argued that media in capitalist environments do not exist to impartially report the news, but to reinforce dominant narratives of the time, even if they are false. Most journalists, they theorized, work to support the status quo.
In sports, you sometimes see that come to light through what media scholars call “the stereotypical narrative” – a style of reporting and writing that relies on old tropes.
Scholars who study sports media have found that reporters routinely fall back on racial stereotypes. For example, coverage of Black quarterbacks in the NFL as less intelligent and more innately gifted would go on to hinder the progress of Black quarterbacks.
In Brennan’s coverage of the Carrington-Clark incident, there appear to be echoes of the way the media covered Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird in the 1980s.
The battles between two of the sport’s greatest players – one Black, the other white – was a windfall for the NBA, lifting the league into financial sustainability.
But to many reporters who leaned on the dominant narrative of the time, the two stars also served as stand-ins for the racial tensions of the post-civil rights era. During the 1980s, Bird and Magic didn’t simply hoop; they were the “embodiments of their races and living symbols of how blacks and whites lived in America,” as scholars Patrick Ferrucci and Earnest Perry wrote.
The media gatekeepers of the Magic-Bird era often relied on racial stereotypes that ultimately distorted both athletes.
For example, early in their careers, Bird and Johnson received different journalistic treatment. In Ferrucci and Perry’s article, they explain how coverage of Bird “fit the dominant narrative of the time perfectly … exhibiting a hardworking and intelligent game that succeeded despite a lack of athletic prowess.” When the “flashy” Lakers and Johnson won, they wrote, it was because of “superior skill.”
When they lost to Bird’s Celtics, they were “outworked.”
Framing matters
Let’s go back to Brennan.
Few have done more for young women in the sports media industry than Brennan. In time, energy and money, she has mentored and supported young women trying to break into the field. She has used her platform to expand the coverage of women’s sports.
Brennan defended herself in a lengthy interview on the podcast “Good Game with Sarah Spain”:
“I think [critics are] missing the fact of what I’m trying to do, what I am doing, what I understand clearly as a journalist, asking questions and putting things out there so that athletes can then have an opportunity to answer issues that are being discussed or out there.”
I don’t think Brennan asking Carrington about the foul was problematic. Persisting with the narrative was.
Leaning into racial stereotypes is not simply about the language used anymore. Brennan’s video of her persistent line of questioning pitted Carrington against Clark. It could be argued that it used the stereotype of the overly physical, aggressive Black athlete, as well.
At best, Brennan has a blind spot to the strain racism is putting on Black athletes today – particularly in the WNBA. At worst, she is digging in on that tired trope.
A blind spot can be addressed and seen. An unacknowledged racist narrative, however, will persist.
Molly Yanity, Professor and Director of Sports media and Communication, University of Rhode Island
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The U.S. Army Names Soldier-Athletes Headed to the 2026 Winter Games in Italy
The U.S. Army says nine WCAP Soldier-athletes and coaches will compete at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy in bobsled, biathlon, Nordic combined and figure skating—showcasing elite fitness, discipline and performance.
The U.S. Army is sending a new group of Soldier-athletes to one of the biggest stages in international sports.
In a Jan. 29, 2026 announcement, the Army said nine Soldier-athletes and coaches will represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, with two additional Soldiers traveling as alternates. The group will compete across bobsled, biathlon, Nordic combined, and pairs figure skating—sports that demand equal parts endurance, precision, and mental toughness.
Who’s representing the Army at the 2026 Winter Games
According to the release, the Army’s lineup of Soldier-athletes and coaches includes:
Competing and coaching in Italy
- Lt. Col. Chris Fogt (Bobsled Head Coach)
- Lt. Col. Garrett Hines (Bobsled Coach)
- Sgt. 1st Class Shauna Rohbock (Bobsled Coach)
- Sgt. Frank Del Duca (Bobsled)
- Spc. Azaria Hill (Bobsled)
- Staff Sgt. Deedra Irwin (Biathlon)
- Spc. Sean Doherty (Biathlon)
- Sgt. Ben Loomis (Nordic Combined)
- Pvt. Spencer Howe (Pairs Figure Skating)
Alternates
- Cpl. Hakeem Abdul-Saboor (Bobsled Alternate)
- Spc. Dana Kellogg (Luge Doubles Alternate)
Soldier first, athlete always
The Army emphasized that WCAP athletes remain full-time Soldiers while training and competing at the elite level. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the Army’s Chief Marketing Officer, said the same traits built through military service—discipline, mental agility, teamwork, and readiness—translate directly into high-level athletic performance.
“Even when competing at the highest level, these athletes are U.S. Army Soldiers first,” Braman said in the release, adding that they’re trained to be “tactically and technically proficient” and prepared to perform in any environment.
What is the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP)?
The Soldier-athletes train and serve through the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), which supports top-ranked Soldiers competing at the international level. WCAP provides coaching, facilities, and training resources while ensuring Soldiers maintain their readiness and complete mandatory Army requirements.
While WCAP was officially established in 1997, the Army says it has been training Soldier-athletes for more than 75 years. Over that span, the Army has sent more than 600 Soldier-athletes to compete on the world stage, earning more than 120 medals across summer and winter sports.
Italy adds a layer of Army history
This year’s Winter Games location also carries historical meaning for the Army. The release points to World War II, when the 10th Mountain Division—an elite unit trained for mountain warfare—climbed Riva Ridge in northern Italy in a mission that helped shift momentum in the war.
After returning home, many Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division helped build the foundation of the American ski industry by establishing ski resorts and ski schools across the U.S.—a legacy that still shows up in winter sports culture today.
Braman called the upcoming Games “a unique moment” to honor both the Army’s history in alpine terrain and its long-standing presence in elite athletics.
What to Watch For
- Biathlon conditioning: How Soldier-athletes balance endurance output with shooting precision under fatigue.
- Bobsled power and speed: Starts win races—watch for explosive sprint mechanics and teamwork on push phases.
- Nordic combined workload: One of the toughest mixes in sport; look for training insights on strength-to-weight and aerobic capacity.
- Recovery and readiness: How WCAP athletes manage sleep, mobility, and injury prevention while staying Soldier-ready.
- Italy’s alpine backdrop: The region’s mountain history adds context—and pressure—for performance in cold, high-demand environments.
Learn more
For more information about the U.S. Army and opportunities like WCAP, the release directs readers to GoArmy.com, including GoArmy.com/world-class-athlete-program.
Source: U.S. Army (PRNewswire), Jan. 29, 2026
Related External Links
- U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) – Overview of how Soldier-athletes train and compete at the elite level.
- GoArmy.com – Learn more about U.S. Army opportunities and careers.
- Team USA – Athlete news, sport profiles, and updates across Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
- Olympics.com – Official Winter Games coverage, schedules, and sport explainers.
- International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) – Rules, rankings, and event info for Nordic disciplines, including Nordic combined.
- International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) – Bobsled and skeleton sport info, events, and athlete resources.
- International Biathlon Union (IBU) – Biathlon news, event calendars, and performance insights.
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CourtsApp Launches as “The Healthiest App in the World,” Turning Screen Time Into Play Time
CourtsApp, branded as “the healthiest app in the world,” aims to reduce screen time by encouraging users to engage in racquet sports like tennis and pickleball. The platform facilitates easy court bookings without membership fees, promoting movement and social interaction. Expansion plans cover various U.S. regions, maximizing accessibility for players.
If your New Year’s reset includes less scrolling and more moving, CourtsApp is trying to make that switch ridiculously easy.
CourtsApp has officially launched with a bold claim—calling itself “the healthiest app in the world”—and the positioning is clear: it’s not another wellness app asking for more screen time. It’s a tool designed to get you off your phone and onto a court.
What CourtsApp is (and why it’s different)
CourtsApp is an AI-powered marketing and booking platform that helps players instantly find and book open courts for tennis, pickleball, padel, and other racquet sports—often at discounted prices. The key point: no membership fees are required.
That matters because “friction” is one of the biggest reasons people don’t play as often as they want to. If booking a court means juggling memberships, phone calls, limited availability, or confusing club policies, most people default to the easier option: staying home.
CourtsApp’s pitch is simple: open the app, find a court, book it, and go play.
Turning screen time into play time
Most apps compete for attention. CourtsApp is leaning into the opposite idea—convert screen time into movement.
The average adult now spends more than seven hours a day looking at screens, a trend that’s often linked with rising rates of obesity, heart disease, anxiety, and social isolation. CourtsApp is positioning itself as a healthier relationship with your phone: use it briefly, then put it away and get outside.
Instead of tracking steps or pushing workouts through a screen, the app is built around real-world activity—full-body movement, outdoor play, and social connection.
Why racquet sports are having a moment
CourtsApp’s launch also taps into a bigger trend: racquet sports are booming, and not just because they’re fun.
Founder and CEO Daren Hornig argues that sports like tennis and pickleball can be a stronger path to fitness and longevity than the typical “10,000 steps” mindset.
“CourtsApp turns your phone into a gateway to real-world health,” Hornig said. “For years, we’ve been told that you can stay fit and lose weight by walking 10,000 steps a day, taking a Peloton class online or going to a gym. However, sports like tennis and pickleball give you a greater chance to achieve your health and fitness goals and live a longer and healthier life. And there’s no better time to start than the New Year.”
The company also points to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, citing long-term data following more than 80,000 adults over nearly a decade. According to the release, participants in racquet sports saw a 47% lower risk of death from any cause and up to a 56% lower risk of cardiovascular-related death compared to non-participants.
Where CourtsApp is live now—and what’s next
CourtsApp is currently live for players across:
- New York
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
The platform already lists more than 1,500 courts across 150+ facilities in those markets.
Next up: expansion from Maine to Florida by Q1 2026, followed by market-by-market growth as club density increases. The release also calls out additional play-in markets including:
- Southern California
- Texas
- Pacific Northwest
Flexible pricing, more access, fewer barriers
One of the most practical angles here is affordability and access.
CourtsApp highlights discounted pricing during quieter hours—helping players turn a random free afternoon into court time without committing to a membership or paying peak-hour rates.
For clubs, the platform doubles as a marketing and booking engine. For players, it’s a shortcut to the thing they actually want: a court that’s open right now.
The bigger takeaway
CourtsApp is betting on a simple truth: people don’t need more motivation apps—they need fewer obstacles.
If the app delivers on its promise (fast booking, real inventory, and meaningful discounts), it could become a go-to tool for anyone trying to make movement a habit—especially in sports like pickleball and tennis where access and scheduling can make or break consistency.
Players and clubs can learn more or join the platform at CourtsApp.com.
Here’s a clean Related Links block you can paste into WordPress (HTML view). Swap in your actual URLs/titles where needed:
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- More Sports + Wellness Coverage on STM Daily News
- Pickleball News & Updates
- Tennis News & Court Culture
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Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Fits the NFL’s Long Game to Win Latin America
The NFL aims to expand its reach into Latin America through strategic marketing and high-profile performers like Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show. While the choice has sparked controversy, particularly among conservatives, the league sees it as a business move to attract more fans, particularly in Mexico and Brazil.
Last Updated on February 7, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show is part of long play drawn up by NFL to score with Latin America
Donald Trump, it is fair to assume, will be switching channels during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
The U.S. president has already said that he won’t be attending Super Bowl LX in person, suggesting that the venue, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was “just too far away.” But the choice of celebrity entertainment planned for the main break – Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny and recently announced pregame addition Green Day – didn’t appeal. “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump told the New York Post.
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell likely didn’t have the sensibilities of the U.S. president in mind when the choice of Bad Bunny was made.
One of the top artists in the world, Bad Bunny performs primarily in Spanish and has been critical of immigration enforcement, which factored into the backlash in some conservative circles to the choice. Bad Bunny’s anti-ICE comments at this year’s Grammy Awards will have only stoked the ire of some conservatives.
But for the NFL hierarchy, this was likely a business decision, not a political one. The league has its eyes on expansion into Latin America; Bad Bunny, they hope, will be a ratings-winning means to an end. It has made such bets in the past. In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were chosen to perform, with Bad Bunny making an appearance. The choice then, too, was seen as controversial.
Raising the flag overseas
As a teacher and scholar of critical sports studies, I study the global growth of U.S.-based sports leagues overseas.
Some, like the National Basketball Association, are at an advantage. The sport is played around the globe and has large support bases in Asia – notably in the Philippines and China – as well as in Europe, Australia and Canada.
The NFL, by contrast, is largely entering markets that have comparatively little knowledge and experience with football and its players.
The league has opted for a multiprong approach to attracting international fans, including lobbying to get flag football into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Playing the field
When it comes to the traditional tackle game, the NFL has held global aspirations for over three-quarters of a century. Between 1950-1961, before they merged, the NFL and American Football League played seven games against teams in Canada’s CFL to strengthen the relationship between the two nations’ leagues.
Developing a fan base south of the border has long been part of the plan.
The first international exhibition game between two NFL teams was supposed to take place in Mexico City in 1968. But Mexican protest over the economy and cost of staging the Olympics that year led the game, between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, to be canceled.
Instead, it was Montreal that staged the first international exhibition match the following year.
In 1986, the NFL added an annual international preseason game, the “American Bowl,” to reach international fans, including several games in Mexico City and one in Monterrey.
But the more concerted effort was to grow football in the potentially lucrative, and familiar, European market.
After several attempts by the NFL and other entities in the 1970s and ’80s to establish an international football league, the NFL-backed World League of Football launched in 1991. Featuring six teams from the United States, one from Canada and three from Europe, the spring league lost money but provided evidence that there was a market for American football in Europe, leading to the establishment of NFL Europe.
But NFL bosses have long had wider ambitions. The league staged 13 games in Tokyo, beginning in 1976, and planned exhibitions for 2007 and 2009 in China that were ultimately canceled. These attempts did not have the same success as in Europe.
Beyond exhibitions
The NFL’s outreach in Latin America has been decades in the making. After six exhibition matches in Mexico between 1978 and 2001, the NFL chose Mexico City as the venue of its first regular season game outside the United States.
In 2005, it pitted the Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Marketed as “Fútbol Americano,” it drew the largest attendance in NFL history, with over 103,000 spectators.
The following year, Goodell was named commissioner and announced that the NFL would focus future international efforts on regular-season games.
The U.K. was a safe bet due to the established stadium infrastructure and the country’s small but passionate fan base. The NFL International Series was played exclusively in London between 2007 and 2016.
But in 2016, the NFL finally returned to Mexico City, staging a regular-season game between the Oakland – now Las Vegas – Raiders and Houston Texans.
And after the completion of upgrades to Latin America’s largest stadium, Estadio Azteca, the NFL will return to Mexico City in 2026, along with games in Munich, Berlin and London. Future plans include expanding the series to include Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2026.
The International Player Pathway program also offers players from outside the United States an opportunity to train and earn a roster spot on an NFL team. The hope is that future Latin American players could help expand the sport in their home countries, similar to how Yao Ming expanded the NBA fan base in China after joining the Houston Rockets, and Shohei Ohtani did the same for baseball in Japan while playing in Los Angeles.
Heading south of the border
The NFL’s strategy has gained the league a foothold in Latin America.
Mexico and Brazil have become the two largest international markets for the NFL, with nearly 40 million fans in each of the nations.
Although this represents a fraction of the overall sports fans in each nation, the raw numbers match the overall Latino fan base in the United States. In recent years the NFL has celebrated Latino Heritage Month through its Por La Cultura campaign, highlighting Latino players past and present.
Latin America also offers practical advantages. Mexico has long had access to NFL games as the southern neighbor to the United States, with the Dallas Cowboys among the most popular teams in Mexico.
For broadcasters, Central and South America offer less disruption in regards to time zones. Games in Europe start as early as 6:30 a.m. for West Coast fans, whereas Mexico City follows Central time, and Brasilia time is only one to two hours ahead of Eastern time.
The NFL’s expansion plans are not without criticism. Domestically, fans have complained that teams playing outside the U.S. borders means one less home game for season-ticket holders. And some teams have embraced international games more than others.
Another criticism is the league, which has reported revenues of over US$23 billion during the 2024-25 season – nearly double any other U.S.-based league – is using its resources to displace local sports. There are also those who see expansion of the league as a form of cultural imperialism. These criticisms often intersect with long-held ideas around the league promoting militarism, nationalism and American exceptionalism.
Bad Bunny: No Hail Mary attempt
For sure, the choice of Bad Bunny as the halftime pick is controversial, given the current political climate around immigration. The artist removed tour dates on the U.S. mainland in 2025 due to concerns about ICE targeting fans at his concerts, a concern reinforced by threats from the Department of Homeland Security that they would do just that at the Super Bowl.
But in sticking with Bad Bunny, the NFL is showing it is willing to face down a section of its traditional support and bet instead on Latin American fans not just tuning in for the halftime show but for the whole game – and falling in love with football, too.
Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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