Sheila Johnson critiques TIME selecting Clark as Athlete of the Year

While the Mystics’ Managing Partner has a valid point, her message is probably better said by a WNBA team owner of a team with more top tier talent.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark won TIME’s Athlete of the Year in 2024 last week. You can watch this video feature below.

In the article, Clark also touched on various topics, including that she is a White superstar in a league where most players are Black. Many news commentators, including on CNN debated on this topic. But since Clark is not a Washington Mystics player, you may wonder why I’m writing about her today.

Earlier last week, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairwoman and Mystics Managing Partner Sheila Johnson appeared on CNN Sport, a show on CNN International (you can’t see it on regular CNN in the USA). On the show, she critiqued TIME’s selection of Clark as the Athlete of the Year. You can watch the entire snippet below.

Johnson didn’t appear take issue with Clark getting the award in and of itself. But her main point was that the WNBA’s growth goes beyond rookies like Clark and, to a lesser extent, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, whom Johnson also mentioned. And, of course, many WNBA superstars over the last 28 years helped set the stage for someone like Clark.

I agree with Johnson’s message entirely. But this message would have had more weight if an owner of a different WNBA team said these comments. So, if Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis came to say the same thing Johnson said on CNN or another network, I would write the same piece.

So why do I object to anyone from Mystics ownership publicly opposing TIME’s decision to name Clark Athlete of the Year?

It’s because of the optics of where the Mystics stand right now in the WNBA. In the 2024 season, they were the only WNBA team without an All-Star. They failed to make the WNBA Playoffs. At the middle of a critical offseason, they are currently the only team without a General Manager or a Head Coach, though they are making progress. Yes, the Mystics had three Olympians on their roster, but none played for the United States.

While the Mystics set single-game attendance records, those games were against the Fever, Clark’s team. And general WNBA fans came to see Clark at Capital One Arena more than any one player on the Mystics, given that they were All-Star-less.

Suppose Joe and Clara Tsai, the owners of the New York Liberty, or Glen Taylor, the majority owner of the Minnesota Lynx, said the exact same thing Johnson did on television. In that case, I think this message would come across better. After all, the Liberty won the WNBA Finals, and the Lynx were runners-up.

In the end, I don’t think anything Johnson said was wrong in and of itself. Again, I entirely agree with her message. However, I don’t think casual sports fans will perceive her message as valid when the Mystics weren’t in the national WNBA picture last year.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.