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Caitlin Clark has already faced immense criticism at every turn 6 months into 2024

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Caitlin Clark has already faced immense criticism at every turn 6 months into 2024

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Caitlin Clark is at the center of the sports world as the calendar nears summertime and the heat is only getting turned up on the WNBA rookie.

The Indiana Fever sharpshooter was on the receiving end of a hard foul from Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter during Saturday’s matchup, which sparked a ton of drama and hot takes on social media and on the airwaves in the aftermath.

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It has felt like since Clark was on the verge of breaking the NCAA all-time scoring record toward the end of her collegiate career at Iowa, all she has faced is negativity. The highest of highs have come with chainsaws to chop her down even before she took the floor for the Fever.

Here’s some of the tribulations Clark has faced over the last few months.

First ‘reality check’

Sheryl Swoopes attends the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports at Cipriani Wall Street on October 12, 2023, in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WSF)

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While Clark was lighting up the stat sheet, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes said there was no way the Iowa standout would come into the league and perform the way she has.

“So, will Caitlin Clark be a good pro? Absolutely. Will Caitlin Clark come into the WNBA and do what she’s doing right now, immediately? Absolutely not. Not going to happen,” Swoopes said in part in January.

Swoopes later praised Clark’s accomplishments. But months later, Clark joined Sabrina Ionescu as the only players in league history to reach at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in their first 10 games as a pro.

Didn’t break the scoring record

Lynette Woodard, previous holder of the women’s basketball all-time scoring record, in attendance during a women’s college basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Iowa Hawkeyes on March 3, 2024, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It was as clear as day. Clark broke Kelsey Plum’s mark for most points scored in a NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball career and then surpassed Lynnette Woodward’s mark, if you include the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) which predated the NCAA. She also tallied more points than Pete Maravich.

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For whatever reason, Woodard said in April that she was the one who still held the record with 3,649 points in four seasons with the Kansas Jayhawks. Clark ended up finishing with 3,951 points.

“I am the hidden figure, but no longer now,” Woodard said before the national title game. “My record was hidden from everyone for 43 years. … I don’t think my record has been broken because you can’t duplicate what you’re not duplicating. So, unless you come with a men’s basketball and a 2-point shot, you know … but just for you, so you can understand, so you can help me spread that word.”

Two days later, Woodard acknowledged Clark as the record holder after backlash.

“Reality is coming”

Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury jokes around with Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces on her bench in the fourth quarter of their game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on May 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Diana Taurasi, a legend in the WNBA, warned the game wasn’t going to come as easy to Clark as it did in college.

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“Reality is coming,” she said on ESPN after the Hawkeyes’ tournament win over the Huskies. “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.

“There is going to be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”

The reality is, Clark was the WNBA Rookie of the Month in her first month as a pro. Clark’s first regular-season game garnered 2.1 million viewers. It was the most watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms ever.

Doyel drama

Gregg Doyel, IndyStar sports columnist (Robert Scheer/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Clark was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, but as soon as she met with the Indianapolis media, there was awkwardness.

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Indy Star columnist Gregg Doyel made a heart with his hands before asking Clark a question. He asked whether she “liked that” and the weirdness ensued.

The strange interaction led to an apology from the columnist and the newspaper taking him off of the Fever beat for the season.

Race factor

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson speaks during the team’s media day on May 3, 2024. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Clark joined Breanna Stewart and Ionescu as the active WNBA players with signature shoe deals. The deal sparked a debate over why Clark, who didn’t play a game at that point, received the deal, with race becoming a main talking point.

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson lent her voice to the Clark discussion. She denied in April that she was jealous of Clark. But she did end up saying that race played a part in her popularity.

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“It really is because you can be top-notch at what you are as a Black woman, but yet maybe that’s something that people don’t want to see,” Wilson said at the time. “They don’t see it as marketable, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work. It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug. That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”

But Wilson ended up changing her tune.

“She’s learning and growing like everyone else. I feel like people don’t give her a chance,” she said. “We tell our rookies every single day, this is new. You’re coming into a whole other new world and starting over. So, these questions are only annoying because she’s young. She’s a rookie. You keep asking us these questions as if she’s a grown-ass woman that’s been in this league for years. No, she’s doing her job. We’re doing ours and at the end of the day, that’s how we grow, is when we get better and do things like that.”

“I’m just exhausted over the conversation because I know she’s exhausted. I can only imagine.”

‘Pretty privilege’

Sunny Hostin suggests Caitlin Clark’s popularity is part of “White” and “pretty” privilege. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)

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As the season has worn on, the Clark discussion reached the desk of “The View.” Co-host Sunny Hostin argued that “White privilege” and “pretty privilege” played a role in her popularity.

“I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege. There is a thing called White privilege. There is a thing called tall privilege, and we have to acknowledge that, and so part of it is about race, because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, why did she have to go to play in Russia? Because they wouldn’t pay her,” Hostin said

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said she’d become a fan of the WNBA because Clark was “so fun to watch,” adding that it had nothing to do with her skin color. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg argued that Hostin and herself have been trying to bring attention to the WNBA for years.

Chennedy Carter foul

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) is whistled for a flagrant foul for knocking Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to the ground on June 1, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Everything came to a head on Saturday when Carter hip-checked Clark to the ground during the Sky’s 71-70 loss. The foul was later upgraded to a flagrant-1 violation.

Carter refused to take Clark questions but offered critical takes about her on social media.

“… that’s that on that cause beside three point shooting what does she bring to the table man,” Carter wrote.

Carter spoke to reporters on Monday and expressed that she has no regrets over anything that happened.

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Indy 500: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes In Race History

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Indy 500: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes In Race History

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The best Indianapolis 500 finish could be subjective, depending on which driver a fan was rooting for to win.

It certainly is in the eye of the beholder.

So take this list for what it’s worth. One view of the 10 best finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Of course, it skews to more recent decades when the runs have come a little faster and the finishes have had a tendency to be a little closer.

We’ll add one each day to this list of fantastic finishes ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

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10. Ericsson outduels O’Ward (2022)

After a red flag, Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward in a two-lap shootout. The shootout didn’t last two laps, though, as there was a crash on the final lap behind them. Ericsson had a comfortable lead when the red flag came out for a crash with four laps to go, a situation where in past Indianapolis 500 races, they likely would have ended the race under caution with Ericsson as the winner.

9. Foyt survives chaos (1967)

How does a driver who wins by two laps end up on this list? It’s because the win nearly didn’t happen on the last lap. A big crash with cars and debris littering the frontstretch just ahead of Foyt as he came to the checkered flag forced him to navigate through the wreckage for the win.

8. Sato can’t catch Franchitti (2012)

This was one of those finishes where the leader holds on for the win, but boy did the leader have to hold on. Takuma Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti early on the final lap but to no avail and Franchitti sped off for the victory. This was one of those Indy 500s that made you hold your breath all the way to the checkered flag.

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UCLA softball pummels South Carolina to advance to NCAA super regional

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UCLA softball pummels South Carolina to advance to NCAA super regional

No. 8 UCLA stuck with right-hander Taylor Tinsley throughout the Los Angeles Regional and that faith in the senior paid off.

During the Bruins’ NCAA tournament opener at Easton Stadium, Tinsley gave up 10 runs before her teammates rallied for a walk-off win. She returned less than 24 hours to pitch against South Carolina, giving up two earned runs in a victory. Tinsley was back in the circle Sunday afternoon, yielding one run in UCLA’s 15-1 victory over the Gamecocks to advance to the super regionals.

“I am proud of Taylor’s resiliency, the ability to do whatever she can to help this team,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She got stronger through the weekend. I am proud of that.”

Tinsley and her teammates will host Central Florida in a super regional that begins Friday.

“I feel good,” Tinsley said after pitching three key games in three days. “I could have gone more innings if needed.”

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South Carolina right-hander Jori Heard gave up only one hit through two innings, keeping UCLA’s potent bats relatively quiet. The Gamecocks had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Tinsley escaped the inning with a pop-up to left field.

The Bruins got on the board first with a two-run home run from left fielder Rylee Slimp in the third inning. The Bruins followed it up by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth for right fielder Megan Grant.

Grant cooked up a grand slam to make it 6-0. She has 40 home runs, extending her hold on the NCAA single-season home run record. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells trails Grant with 37 homers.

“Its just incredible because I am blessed to be able to say the number 40,” Grant said.

South Carolina broke through on an RBI single from left fielder Quincee Lilio to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning after being held to just one hit since the first inning. The Gamecocks couldn’t cash in the rest of the way.

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The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and Grant at bat again. Fans at Easton Stadium anticipated another grand slam, holding up their cellphones hoping to catch some magic. Grant served up a two-run RBI single to expand the lead 8-1.

Jordan Woolery added to the scoring with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line, and Kaniya Bragg hit a home run to left-center field. Soo-jin Berry put a bow on the win with one more home run.

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Pro wrestling star learns what ‘land of opportunity’ means in US as he details journey from Italy to America

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Pro wrestling star learns what ‘land of opportunity’ means in US as he details journey from Italy to America

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Cristiano Argento has been tearing up opponents in the ring for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as he worked his way up the ladder to get a few shots at some gold.

But the path to get to one of the most prestigious pro wrestling companies in the U.S. was long and a path that not many wrestlers have taken.

Argento was born and raised in Osimo, Italy – a town of about 35,000 people located on the east side of the country closer to the Adriatic Sea. He told Fox News Digital he started training in a ring at a boxing gym before he got started on the independent scene in Italy. He wrestled in Germany, Sweden, France and Denmark before he came to the realization that, to become a professional wrestler, he needed to make his way to the United States.

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Cristiano Argento performs in the National Wrestling Alliance (Instagram)

He first worked his way to Canada to get trained by pro wrestling legend Lance Storm. He moved to Canada, leaving most of his friends and family behind and without a firm grasp on the English language.

“At the time, my English was horrible. I didn’t speak any English at all,” he said. “But I was with my friend, Stefano, he came with me and he translated everything for me. I probably missed 50% of the knowledge that Lance Storm was giving to us because I was unable to understand. I was only given a recap and everything I was able to see. I’m sure if I was doing it now with a proper knowledge of English, it would have been a different scenario.

“Eventually, I moved back to Italy after the training and I said, OK, now, I want to go to the U.S. So, I studied English more properly, and eventually I got my first work visa that was in Texas. I was in Houston for a short period of time. I trained with Booker T at Reality of Wrestling. I got on his show, which was my debut in the U.S. That was awesome. I eventually got a new work visa in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I currently live since 2017. Since then, my wrestling career, thankfully, kept growing, growing, growing and growing until now wrestling for the NWA. One of the bigger promotions in the U.S.”

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Argento said that his family thought he was “nuts” for chasing his pro wrestling dream.

He said they were more concerned about his well-being given that he was half-way around the world without anyone he knew by his side in case something went sideways.

“My family, friends, everybody was like why do you want to move to the opposite side of the world not knowing the language, not knowing anybody, by yourself, to try to become a professional wrestler? And I was like, well, we have one life, I love, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” he told Fox News Digital. “Eventually, my family was really supportive. But when I first said, ‘Hey, mom and dad, I want to do that.’ They looked at me like, ‘Are you nuts? Are you drunk or something? What are you talking about?’ And I said, no that’s what I want to do. And they knew I loved this sport because in Italy I was traveling around Europe, spending time in Canada training, so they started to understand slowly that’s what I want to do with my life. They were proud of me.

Cristiano Argento works out in the gym. (Instagram)

“They’re still proud of me. I think more like the fact that you’re gonna try that, that it’s hard than more like you’re gonna leave us. The fact like, oh, my son is gonna go on the opposite side of the world for a six-hour time difference and we’re gonna see him maybe, when, like, I don’t know. Not often. I think it was more that. And for me too, it was really hard. It was heartbreaking not being able to see my family every day or every month. Like once a year if I’m lucky. I think that was the biggest part for them because of concern or that I was here by myself and if I have any issue or any problem, I didn’t have nobody. So they were scared. Like, you get sick, if you have a problem, anything, and they’re not being able to be here next to me. But they were really supportive since day one.”

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Argento is living out his dream in the U.S. He suggested that the moniker of the U.S. being the “land of opportunity” wasn’t far from what is preached in movies and literature – it was the real thing.

“I was inspired by people who came to the U.S. and made it big,” Argento told Fox News Digital. “The U.S. was always like the land of opportunity. That’s how they sell it to us and this is what it is. I feel like, in myself, that was true because anything I tried to do so far I was able to reach a lot more than if I wasn’t here. I’m not yet where I’d like to be but I see like there’s so many opportunities in this country. Not just in wrestling but like in any business to reach the goal. I’m really happy of the choices I did here.

National Wrestling Alliance star Cristiano Argento poses in Times Square in New York. (Instagram)

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“But my big inspirations were big-time actors who moved to the country, who didn’t know English, with no money, no support system. I had one dream, I have to go right there to make it happen and I’m gonna go and do it and I’m gonna make it happen. So those people were always the biggest inspiration even if it wasn’t in wrestling, just how they handled their passion, how they pursued their dream without being scared of anything, how far you are, how alone by yourself … You don’t know the language, you’re like, let’s go, let’s do it.”

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Outside of the NWA, Argento has performed for the International Wrestling Cartel, Enjoy Wrestling and Exodus Pro Wrestling this year.

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