The topic of Caitlin Clark and her not being chosen for the Olympic team has been all over the sports talk radio airwaves, sports television and just about anywhere else you turn. The subject has brought out a lot of strong opinions and now hosts are battling one another about the opinions they have given. This includes Peter Rosenberg, co-host of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York who also co-hosts with Laura Stylez on Hot 97’2 Ebro in the Morning. His thoughts, given on the morning show, which included an opinion on Stephen A. Smith and his take about Clark, drew the ire of Stephen A. as he was getting ready to head to Dallas for the NBA Finals.
Smith told his audience on his YouTube channel that he knows it might seem like he responds to every attack thrown his way, however he estimates he lets 95% of them go without a response. This was not one of those times.
“I’m going to comment about this, because I kind of know this person that said this sh– about me and I’m not letting it go, because I don’t appreciate what he said, actually I think what he said was utter bullsh–,” Smith said about Rosenberg.
“The subject matter is Caitlin Clark and how somebody has decided to go over the public airwaves and completely misconstrue what I said or flat out just lied on purpose. I don’t want to think that Peter Rosenberg lied on purpose.”
Smith then played the clip of Rosenberg from his morning show duties on Hot 97 talking about Caitlain Clark.
Rosenberg said, “It’s almost like Caitlin Clark has been drafted without her own choice to being the face of white fragility. People were like, ‘We want you to be all of the concerns we have about white people getting treated unfairly. We’re going to put that on you, Caitlin Clark.”
Rosenberg would go on to say, “And that’s why Steven A. is catching the button, because he’s jumping in on this train of the Caitlin Clark’s not being treated fairly by the world, which is not only unfair, actually, to Caitlin Clark. Not only are you ruining it. We have something awesome, and everyone is ruining it, but you’re also being unfair to all the other women in this league who don’t deserve to be treated like props because it’s a real competitive league with people who care deeply about this. And this whole idea that if Caitlin Clark isn’t propped up the right way, then it’s not right for the sport. If that’s your take, maybe you don’t really care about the sport and shouldn’t be giving an opinion about it.”
After the clip, Smith spoke about not backing away from his comments about Clark. What he believes is that while nobody deserves to be taken off the roster, Clark should be on it because she is “box office.” Smith talked about the WNBA and women’s basketball clamoring for support and that they should capitalize on the opportunity they have.
Smith then said about Rosenberg, “Why the hell would this guy go out there and say to America, yo, Stephen A. is propping Caitlin Clark up as a victim? What, you the white boy now that’s gravitating to Black folks? And you want to make folks believe, hey, you know something, I mean, this is the latest thing that he’s doing against y’all. Is that what this is?
“You sitting there and you on a station, they playing hip hop music, that make you down, now? You think you know what’s better than me? Is that what this is?”
Smith would go on to say he would expect Rosenberg to pick up the phone and call him or send him a text for clarification before blasting him on the air.
“Once again, I find myself in front of the microphone saying, damn, I couldn’t have gotten a call? For clarification? You couldn’t call? Couldn’t have asked me a question?”
