‘Inartful comparison’: USA Today columnist addresses invoking Emmett Till in Caitlin Clark story
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The viral column written by sports columnist Nancy Armour received backlash for mentioning Emmett Till in an article arguing Caitlin Clark weaponized her whiteness in games.
A columnist for USA Today has apologized after an opinion article about WNBA star Caitlin Clark was heavily criticized for mentioning Emmett Till.
On Wednesday (July 22), the news outlet published sports writer Nancy Armour’s opinion piece about Clark “flopping,” claiming that the Indiana Fever guard, who is white, often exaggerates the impact of hits on the court to get fouls called. Armour argued in the article that Clark doing this as a white woman is harmful because it causes racist fans to harass and threaten the league’s majority Black and queer players in her defense.
But what made Armour’s column catch fire was not just that it was an observation of the racial dynamics in the women’s league, for which she used examples of Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas being fined $1000 for a flagrant foul 2 against Clark, as well as fouls called against Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray and Golden State Valkyries center Kiah Stokes; it was also a comparison between Clark’s flopping and Emmett Till, the African American teenager whose murder became a blockbuster case in the civil rights movement.
Armour wrote, “The WNBA’s All-Star Game this weekend is in Chicago, Emmett Till’s hometown, and a local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn’t been lynched. While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the wider consequences of her actions.”
Till, who was from Chicago, was just 14 when he was killed by a lynch mob while visiting family in Mississippi in the summer of 1955. He was accused of whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, while visiting a store owned by her and her husband, Roy Bryant. He was later kidnapped and brutally murdered, the killers leaving his face unrecognizable. The men accused of killing him, including Roy, were tried in court and acquitted by an all-white jury.
The piece Armour wrote received backlash from sports fans and other sports media professionals from publications like The Athletic and Outkick. One of the loudest critics was Barstool’s Dave Portnoy, who has openly supported Clark in the past.
Today, Armour released a statement calling her choice to invoke Till an “inartful comparison,” but still defended her take.
“I intended to connect the issues the WNBA is currently facing with its All-Star Game being hosted in Till’s hometown of Chicago. I obviously did not provide enough context for that. However, this point still stands: There is a history in this country of perceived threats to white women being weaponized against African Americans, and the danger that poses to Black players in the league.”
The statement continues, “Players have been abused online and have reported receiving death threats. That has to be taken more seriously. I regret that my lack of appropriate context is overshadowing that important conversation and the action that needs to be taken by the WNBA to address it directly – for the benefit of ALL players.”
USA Today updated the article “for further context and clarity” following the backlash to Armour’s original piece. The story still mentions Till.
Armour’s updated piece adds, “It shouldn’t need reminding this country has an awful history of Black people being harmed, even killed, in the name of “defending” white women. The irony of the WNBA’s All-Star Game is that it’s happening this weekend in Chicago, the hometown of Emmett Till, who became an icon of the civil rights movement after his tragic murder. The local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn’t been lynched. While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the broader implications of her actions being weaponized.”
USA Today has also responded to the controversy around Armour’s story.
“Nancy is a Sports columnist, and her column is clearly labeled Opinion. Please note that the column has been updated for clarity, and Nancy has addressed the matter here (and below). We will not be commenting further,” Lark-Marie Anton, chief communications and brand officer for USA Today Co told Front Office Sports in an email.