Sheila Johnson, billionaire co-owner of WNBA franchise Washington Mystics, has criticized Time for its awarding of “Athlete of the Year” to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

On Tuesday, the outlet bestowed the honor on the 22-year-old after her stellar year, in which she broke multiple college, WNBA and broadcast records.

However, in an interview with CNN Sport, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) suggested that the media should do a better job of promoting all the leagues’ players, rather than focusing on Clark’s exploits.

Johnson questioned why the publication “couldn’t have put the whole WNBA on that cover,” given the talent the league possesses.

“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” added Johnson, co-owner of three Washington sports franchises – the NHL’s Capitals, the NBA’s Wizards and the WNBA’s Mystics.

“This year, something clicked with the WNBA and it’s because of the draft of players that came in. It’s not just Caitlin Clark, it’s (Angel) Reese (as well). We have so much talent out there.”

In her debut season with the Indiana Fever, Clark took home the Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All-WNBA first team – the first rookie to do so since 2008.

Her maiden season has also coincided with an unprecedented increase in coverage of the league, with viewership numbers consistently broken.

The league’s overall attendance increased by 48% year-on-year to its highest level in over 20 years; this phenomenon has been coined “The Caitlin Clark effect.”

A side effect of Clark’s success has been an increase in commercial deals, which Johnson says may create ill will among Clark’s counterparts.

Notably, Clark reportedly agreed to an eight-year deal with Nike worth $28 million that includes a signature shoe. This has prompted criticism from some quarters that her race has partly contributed to her commercial success, given other Black stars have not received deals on the same level.

“They would like to get the same kind of recognition. It all started with the whole Nike sponsorship that Caitlin got,” Johnson, America’s first Black woman billionaire, said.

“There are other players saying, ‘What about us?’”

On-court rivalry

Throughout her college and WNBA career, Clark has been pitted on an on-court rivalry with fellow star Reese. While the rivalry has helped grow the game, it has also triggered discourse about race in the US.

In September, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert compared their rivalry to that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s in the late 1970s and 1980s. That was an era which came to define the NBA for a period, but the narrative was one that often delineated along racial lines, by pitting a Black man and White man against each other.

Asked whether such comparisons could be drawn between Clark and Reese, and whether it was a good thing for the league, Sheila Johnson told CNN: “I think the media has got to be very, very careful to not make this a race issue, and that’s what’s really important.”

She later added: “I’m concerned about the infighting and the racial innuendos going on because that’s going to turn advertisers away from us.”

Clark is aware of the preferential treatment she may have received because of her race. In her Time interview, she stated: “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege.

“A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.

“I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

Sheila Johnson said Clark should not have felt the need to approach the topic, but “I applaud her for saying it.”

“We have got to work together because the WNBA is at an inflection point where we’re really starting to go up, and I don’t want to lose that momentum,” she added.