A reporter had a rather creepy interaction with Indiana Fever new superstar Caitlin Clark during her introductory press conference on Wednesday. Perhaps the reporter, Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star, was just trying to be friendly. But the encounter drew backlash from the social media world.
Reporter: 🫶
Caitlin Clark: "You like that?"
Reporter: "I like that you're here."
Caitlin: "Yeah, I do that at my family after every game.”
Reporter: "Start doing it to me and we'll get along just fine."
Caitlin: 😳
(via @IndianaFever / YT)pic.twitter.com/BBjU881K7a
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 17, 2024
The reporter began by stating his name. He then gave Clark the hand symbol (as seen in the emoji in the caption of the above-posted video) that she gives to her family after every game. Perhaps that was a somewhat strange thing to do during the press conference, but it was his later comments that caught people's attention.
After Clark asked him if he likes the hand gesture, he said, “I like that you're here.”
Clark then said she does the gesture after every game which prompted his surprising response.
“Start doing it to me, and we'll get along just fine,” the reporter said.
Again, the reporter may have just been trying to make a joke. Nevertheless, making that kind of comment to the Fever's new star, who was selected first overall during the WNBA Draft, was not received well by social media.
Social media reacts to awkward reporter-Caitlin Clark moment
Katie Mox of CBS Sports thinks Clark deserves an apology.
“What happened to Caitlin Clark today at her first press conference in Indy was really gross. I hope she gets an apology,” Mox wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“Gregg Doyel has stopped complaining about Dan Hurley and has now shifted to being weird towards Caitlin Clark,” Jack McGuire of Barstool Sports wrote.
“How do you fumble talking to Caitlin Clark on the first day lol,” a fan wrote.
“Dude had one job…” another fan wrote.
“What a weirdo… Be professional you’re there to do your job,” a third fan added.
“These reporters finally talk to a woman for the first time in their lives and they forgot how to act,” a fourth fan chimed in.
“What an insanely inappropriate and creepy thing to say to a young girl new to the city. Dude should not be allowed back,” a fifth fan wrote.
There were no shortage of other reactions with similar messages. People are not happy with Gregg Doyel's comments by any means.
Clark excels at ignoring outside noise
Clark has not let pressure negatively impact her. She has done a tremendous job of dealing with criticism. The last thing Clark probably thought she would have to endure would be creepy comments from a reporter at her introductory press conference, however.
It goes without mentioning, but that is something Caitlin Clark should not have to deal with. Doyel, as Mox stated in her response, should issue an apology to Clark after creating a moment that was uncalled for.
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