Caitlin Clark was labeled a "right-wing symbol" by Skip Bayless, who claimed her support incited racial division.

In an episode of his podcast on Thursday, Skip Bayless shared his reservations about publicly supporting women's basketball sensation Caitlin Clark.

Although Bayless initially felt guilty about getting excited about Clark's ability and did not want to stir racial division, he eventually started watching the WNBA this year due to his awe of Clark's skills.

Bayless admitted on the show that he felt guilty saying that the girl was good on TV or social media because he didn't want to be seen as a red state white guy cheering for a red state white girl. He felt that our country was already divided racially and didn't want to add to the tension by pouring gasoline on the fire.

In June, on FS1, Bayless publicly questioned Clark's potential, making her a vocal critic earlier this year.

"Bayless previously stated that he is unsure if Caitlin possesses the dog in question, despite her evident talent in shooting and passing. He expressed concern that it is too early to determine if she has the dog, but he couldn't help but wonder when he saw what he saw on Sunday."

Bayless stated that he took stances against Clark because he perceived her as a "right-wing symbol" due to her being a White basketball player who excels at the game.

Caitlin Clark's actions led some to view her as a new right-wing symbol, despite her lack of known political or religious affiliations.

"Basketball has been a source of pride for the Black community in this country, with Black men and women consistently excelling at the sport."

During a press conference on Wednesday, 22-year-old Clark was questioned about her political beliefs after liking Taylor Swift's Instagram post endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite not giving an endorsement or mentioning any candidate, Clark stated her belief in using her platform to encourage people to vote.

Caitlin Clark, born in Des Moines, Iowa, played college basketball at Iowa before turning pro and being drafted by the Fever. Her parents, Anne and Brent, have three children, with Caitlin being the middle child between her two brothers, Blake and Colin. Her parents are lifelong Iowa natives. In the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump won six electoral votes in Iowa, but most of the votes in Polk County, where Des Moines is located, went to Biden.

Since her loss to Angel Reese and LSU in the national championship game during her junior season at Iowa, discussions about the impact of Clark's race on her popularity have intensified.

In her first WNBA season, Clark faced several hard fouls from opponents, but an infamous one by the Sky's Carter in March sparked a backlash from many of Clark's fans.

In the first episode of her podcast last week, Reese suggested that many of Clark's fans are racist.

Reese stated that he believes it's the fans, specifically her fans, who are devoted to her, and he respects their loyalty. However, he added that sometimes their behavior can be disrespectful, and he believes there is a lot of racism involved in their support.

Bayless is not the first major sports talk show host to discuss Clark's race in relation to her reputation in the WNBA.

In June, ESPN host Pat McAfee apologized on social media for calling Clark a "White b----" during a live broadcast. However, in his apology, McAfee reiterated his original argument that Clark's race has influenced her treatment by the WNBA and opposing players.

"McAfee originally stated that there might be a possibility that people enjoy watching her play basketball because of her electrifying performance, what she did, what she stood for, and how she went about achieving her goals. However, instead, people are saying that they only like her because she is White and popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing the same. McAfee believes that this is a load of nonsense and that the WNBA, specifically their refs, need to stop trying to sabotage her at every turn. In his opinion, she is someone special and it is fortunate that she is playing in Indiana."

Jim Trotter, a columnist for The Athletic and the New York Times, has written a series of columns that criticize both Clark's fans and Clark herself for not taking a stronger stance against some of her fans' prejudices when asked about it.

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