Renck & File: Caitlin Clark is a movement, not a moment. Coverage of women’s sports must improve

Caitlin Clark is not a moment. She’s a movement.

Talk show host Colin Cowherd said this a few weeks ago, and it remains true. It also means it must be reflected in the coverage of Clark specifically and women’s sports in general.

Clark’s Indiana Fever No. 22 became the top-selling jersey ever on draft night of any athlete in any sport, according to licensed sportswear retailer Fanatics. ESPN provided insightful and thoughtful stories on the WNBA players selected in New York, whether at the anchor desk or in the crowd with Holly Rowe.

We can’t say the same thing about her introductory Fever news conference. Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel, accomplished and award-winning, was called on to ask Clark a question Wednesday. He then said, “Real quick, let me do this” as Doyel made a heart with his hands. What followed was beyond awkward, the subsequent exchange uncomfortable and cringe-worthy.

Clark: “You like that?”

Doyel: “I like that you are here.”

Clark: “I do that at my family after every game.”

Doyel: “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.”

I did not realize Archie Bunker worked in the media. Doyel issued an apology, calling his actions “oafish.” As former Pro Football Writers President Lindsay Jones tweeted, “Dear (male) reporters. DO NOT DO THIS.”

Can you imagine a female reporter having that exchange with Caleb Williams on Thursday night in Chicago? She would be eviscerated. Regardless of sex, athletes deserve to be treated with respect. Iowa’s championship game loss to South Carolina drew nearly 19 million viewers, most of any hoops game since 2019, eclipsing the ratings of every sport outside of football and the Olympics in that time frame.

Women’s sports are experiencing unprecedented popularity, and, as writer Jemele Hill explained, “it is going to finally force the sports media to grow up.”

Doyel’s exchange with Clark came a few weeks after Los Angeles Times writer Ben Bolch apologized for a preview story on the UCLA-LSU women’s hoops matchup that “failed miserably” and was derided as sexist. The paper removed the offensive language in the piece, saying “it did not meet Times editorial standards.”

I covered women’s sports extensively early in my career, both in preps and CU women’s hoops and periodically in recent years with stories on DU gymnastics. We all make mistakes. I certainly do. But there is no arguing that women’s sports matter. And it’s time, in our coverage, we do better.

It is bad enough the Rockies are embarrassing themselves on the field; now they have done so off it. A viral video showed hitting instructor Hensley Meulens in the cockpit of the team’s chartered flight to Toronto last week. The FAA is now involved. United Airlines has removed the pilots from work, pending the investigation. The Rockies should do the same with Meulens for his conduct and decision to post it on social media. …

The variance of opinions on J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix and Michael Penix make the first round of the NFL draft fascinating. I do not believe McCarthy slips past six, but talking to sources, there is a strong sense either Nix or Penix will be available at the top of the second round. …

The Broncos will debut their new uniforms on Monday. All the talk on social media is that the jerseys will feature more triangles than geometry class. I am sure the fan reaction will be tempered and reasonable. …

A sneaky pick at 12 for the Broncos? Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt. Is it crazy to think they land Alt and trade Garett Bolles on Day 2? …

It must be playoff time. Every national sports show is talking about how the Lakers are going to beat the Nuggets. You know the Lakers, a team that owns an eight-game losing streak to Denver. Alrighty then. …

Mail time

Raiders and Broncos fans are losers. Sounds like they are crying (about moving up in the draft for a QB). Stay with your pick.”

— George Roditis, via Twitter

By George – or is it Bye George? – simmer down, my friend. The Broncos have had 13 starters since Peyton Manning. The Raiders’ best quarterback over the last 20 years (Derek Carr) now starts in New Orleans. It’s perfectly understandable for these fan bases to sound the alarm and wail for functionality at the sport’s most important position. While you are handing out pacifiers, can you give the Broncos a playmaking tight end and receiver as well?