Social media posts declare rising US basketball star Caitlin Clark has declined multi-million greenback offers with Nike and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers as a consequence of their “woke” values. That is false; Clark signed with Nike as a collegiate participant, and the allegations come from a satirical web site.
“Caitlin Clark Turns Down Large $400 Million Supply Endorsement Supply from Nike, ‘I Do not Like That Kaepernick Clow,'” says a June 24, 2024 Fb publish.
One other June 23 publish says: “Breaking: Caitlin Clark turns down $550 million endorsement take care of LeBron James, calling him a ‘woke creep.'”
Screenshots of Fb posts taken June 27, 2024
The claims unfold elsewhere on Fb and different web sites.
Lots of the posts invoke former Nationwide Soccer League quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began a pattern of athletes kneeling throughout the nationwide anthem to protest police brutality in opposition to Black Individuals.
The participant’s 2018 advert marketing campaign resulted in a boycott in opposition to Nike and is one cause the corporate was accused of adopting “woke” ideology, a tradition conflict chorus that usually performs out in controversies over social points. AFP beforehand debunked posts suggesting basketball legend Michael Jordan departed from the model over ideological variations.
Claims suggesting Clark, the Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Affiliation’s primary total draft choose, turned down a multi-million greenback deal are equally false.
Clark signed a take care of Nike in 2022 (archived right here). It expired on the finish of her record-breaking 2023-2024 faculty basketball season on the College of Iowa.
The Athletic and The Wall Road Journal reported in April 2024 that Clark was anticipated to signal a brand new deal price greater than $20 million with the model that would come with a signature shoe (archived right here and right here).
AFP contacted representatives for Clark and Nike for remark, however responses weren’t forthcoming.
‘Nothing is actual’
Key phrase searches discovered the headlines shared on-line stem from satirical web sites.
Each tales have been printed by Esspots.com, which describes its content material as “fictitious” and says it “focuses on satire, parody, and humor” (archived right here).
“Earlier than you proceed to learn our content material, we wish to emphasize that nothing on this web site is actual,” the web site says.
The declare about James stems from a June 20 Fb publish that can also be labeled as satire. Nevertheless, the allegation unfold in different posts with out such disclaimers.
Clark has obtained unprecedented consideration for her rookie season with the Indiana Fever and up to date omission from the USA Basketball Ladies’s Nationwide Crew’s Olympic roster, making her the point of interest of a bigger debate about racism and misogyny.
“It is disappointing. All people in our world deserves the identical quantity of respect … Folks shouldn’t be utilizing my identify to push these agendas,” she told The Athletic on June 13 (archived right here).
AFP beforehand debunked claims that Clark will play for the Canadian nationwide basketball crew on the 2024 Olympics.
