With her early games with the Indiana Fever shattering WNBA audience records on numerous networks, former Iowa standout Caitlin Clark has drawn a tremendous amount of attention to the WNBA. That attention comes with a great deal of scrutiny, and both on and off the court, Clark faces a lot of opposition as she learns to negotiate the difficulties of life as a professional. Some of the coverage has gotten out of hand with personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe now speaking as authorities on a sport they have not shown an interest in until this season. ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt called out Stephen A. Smith during First Take while debating the WNBA.
This past weekend, after Clark’s Fever narrowly defeated Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, things reached a fever pitch. Before the game, Clark had expressed that she thought she was being “hammered” and wasn’t receiving the calls she deserved. However, late in the third quarter, Sky guard Chennedy Carter, who was waiting for an inbound pass, slammed her down from behind. The foul caused the Caitlin Clark discourse to get even worse. When the topic of the event came up at the First Take desk on Monday, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Monica McNutt got into a heated debate over it. McNutt concluded by criticizing Stephen A. for not bringing up the WNBA until this year.
Monica McNutt Calls Out Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith said, “Who talks about the WNBA, who talks about women, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?” Monica McNutt returned fire, clapping back with, “Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.” Stephen A. Smiths’ face turned white when McNutt jabbed back. Fans pointed out how shaken Stephen A. Smith was at the clapback, citing there is a lot of truth to her criticism. Despite the fact that McNutt is 100% accurate, Smith looked surprised and angry by McNutt’s remarks.
Like many devoted WNBA fans, McNutt is obviously annoyed by the lack of subtlety in the conversation surrounding the league at the moment and was prepared to do what few do on Smith’s show: call him out live. The conversation around the WNBA and Caitlin Clark has several layers and is pretty nuanced. Nuance and layers are not something Stephen A. Smith or Shannon Sharpe are interested in covering, if we are being honest. Overall, Monica McNutt stood on business and is completely right.
