Mystic owner criticizes TIME for focusing on Caitlin Clark instead of WNBA’s growth

WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington Mystics co-owner and businesswoman Sheila Johnson has criticized TIME magazine for its recent Athlete of the Year cover announcement.

In an interview on Friday morning with CNN, Johnson criticized the major publication for focusing on former Iowa-now-Indiana Fever star, Caitlin Clark — despite the league as a whole reeling in new popularity.

On Tuesday, TIME awarded 22-year-old Caitlin Clark the TIME’s Athlete of the Year following a record-breaking college season and journey as the No. 1 draft pick into the WNBA.

Johnson says the WNBA as a whole should have made the cover as “Athlete of the Year” rather than singling out Clark.

“Why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said, ‘The WNBA is the league of the year because of all the talent that we have’,” Johnson asked.

After a highly-anticipated rookie season, Clark was awarded Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA first team – the first rookie since now-retired Candace Parker to do so since 2008.

“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” added Johnson. She is the co-owner of three Washington sports franchises — the NHL’s Capitals, the NBA’s Wizards, and the WNBA’s Mystics — and co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET).

When asked by the outlet, Johnson said she wanted to be “diplomatic about it…while also admitting that it is the structure of the way media plays out race. I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never got the recognition that they should have, and I think right now it is time for that to happen.”

In her TIME Magazine article, Clark recognized her privilege while also crediting Black women players as the foundation of the league. “She shouldn’t have had to say that,” Johnson countered.

Despite the criticism, Clark has helped bring a new audience to the WNBA. However, the league was already seeing “exponential growth”, according to the league commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, prior to the media’s focus on Caitlin Clark’s last two seasons at Iowa and her introduction into the league.

After decades of playing in the shadows, the WNBA and its players shined in 2024 — AdWeek named the league the fastest-growing brand of the year.

While the league has reported recording-breaking viewership from regular season games, playoffs, and the Finals this past season, some veteran players say they’ve encountered heightened racism from spectators in person and on social media — including Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter, who was harassed upon arriving at a D.C. hotel this past June.

“We have got to operate and become stronger as a league and respect everybody that’s playing and their talents,” Johnson said.