They Tried to Erase Caitlin Clark—But Fans Made Sure She Went Viral Anyway
It started with a tweet. A fan checking ESPN’s stat page during halftime noticed something odd: Caitlin Clark’s name was gone from every league leaderboard—points, assists, steals—except one: turnovers.
What seemed like a glitch turned into a viral scandal. Over 2.4 million views later, fans were asking the same question:
Why is the WNBA’s biggest star being digitally erased?
Despite averaging 21.6 PPG and 9 assists—a historic rookie run—Clark vanished from ESPN’s top stat rankings. Even Bleacher Report and WNBA.com showed inconsistencies. Meanwhile, players with less impact were still prominently featured.
A leaked ESPN memo mentioned “narrative balance,” fueling theories that Clark’s visibility was deliberately muted amid backlash from league veterans and internal politics.
Fans launched #FreeTheStats and a viral spreadsheet documenting every omission. ESPN eventually restored Clark’s stats—quietly, without explanation. But the damage was done.
“You can erase the numbers,” one fan posted, “but not the movement.”
Now, Clark’s fans are louder than ever—and her spotlight?
Brighter than any leaderboard could hold.
