Sports columnist apologizes for ‘oafish’ comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy is not over

Sports columnist apologizes for ‘oafish’ comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy is not over

A male columnist has apologized for a disappointing moment during former University of Iowa standout star and college basketball leading scorer Caitlin Clark’s first press conference as an Indiana Fever player.

Wednesday’s exchange went viral on social media, and critics said it highlighted the difficulty many female athletes have in getting respect and equal treatment from sports reporters, who are often male.

The discussion began with Gregg Doyel, a columnist for The Indianapolis Star newspaper’s IndyStar website, making a heart with his hand to Clark, a gesture Clark used often during his college basketball career.

Clark replied, “You like that?” Doyel replied, “I love that you’re here,” and Clark explained, “Yeah, I do that to my family after every game.” Then Doyel added, “Start doing it to me and we’ll be fine.”

Doyel apologized the same day.

“Today in my unique way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hand into her signature [heart hand emoji],” she wrote in a post on X shortly after the event. “My comments after that were clumsy and awkward. I apologize sincerely.”

In a separate post on X, he added: “Caitlin Clark, I’m sorry. Today I was part of the problem,” headlined his apology column published Wednesday.

Although Doyel posted his apology to social media platforms, and in his own column, for the sexist remarks he made against the basketball phenom, the discussion he sparked about misogyny in sports is far from over.

Doyel’s back-and-forth with Clark was almost universally broadcast online. Media figures from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic and NBC to Dave Portnoy (who Barstool Sports himself has accused of espousing a sexist culture) slammed Doyel after the clip went viral.

Meanwhile, the Indy Star writer went further by using the stages of grief to describe how he arrived at his moment of clarity.

“After going through denial, and then anger — I was on the wrong side? me??? — I now realize what I said and how I said it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I mean it was just wrong,” he wrote in his column. “Caitlin Clark, I’m sorry.”

But users on X accused him of using the incident as a way to generate content and miss the point of offensive behavior.

The controversy also comes as the conversation over how WNBA players are compensated heats up and as the power of women in entertainment and sports reaches unprecedented levels.