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USA Today is addressing a controversial column by Nancy Armour on Wednesday about Caitlin Clark that invoked murdered Emmett Till—while linking some of Clark’s fan base to “white nationalists.”
After Armour’s column about the Indiana Fever star sparked a firestorm Thursday, Front Office Sports asked USA Today if they stood by her article.
Lark-Marie Anton, chief communications and brand officer for USA Today Co., wrote an email back to FOS stating: “Nancy is a Sports columnist, and her column is clearly labeled Opinion. Please note that the column has been updated for clarity, and Nancy has addressed the matter here (and below). We will not be commenting further.”
Anton was referring to Armour’s post on Threads Thursday defending her decision to include the 14-year-old Till’s racially motivated murder in 1955 in Mississippi. However, Armour wrote she regretted not providing “appropriate context” in her piece.
“In my recent column, I made an inartful comparison with the murder of Emmett Till. I intended to connect the issues the WNBA is currently facing with its All-Star Game being hosted in Till’s hometown of Chicago. I obviously did not provide enough context for that,” wrote Armour.
“However, this point stands: There is a history in this country of perceived threats to white women being weaponized against African-Americans, and the danger that poses to Black players in the league. Players have been abused online and have reported receiving death threats. That has to be taken more seriously.”
She added: “I sincerely regret that my lack of appropriate context is overshadowing that important conversation and the actions that need to be taken by the WNBA to address it directly—for the benefit of ALL players.”
The WNBA fined Alyssa Thomas $1,000 and suspended her for one game after she pressed her fist to Clark’s throat during a game last month, after which Thomas said that she received threats against her life.
Armour and USA Today have been taking a pounding since the column, with critics bashing it as over-the-top ragebait.
Sam Vecenie, a senior hoops writer at The Athletic, publicly wondered how the piece ever saw the light of day.
“There is a section/paragraph in this story that is among the most insane choices to include I’ve ever read in any sports story from a serious publication,” he wrote on X. “Like, the kind of crazy where I genuinely have no idea how an editor let it get through.”
Outkick’s Dan Zaksheske tweeted: “There have been a lot of horrible takes about Caitlin Clark, but USA Today’s Nancy Armour just posted the worst one. By a mile. Armour says Clark is putting ‘Black’ and ‘queer’ WNBA players ‘in danger’ by … flopping and arguing with refs. Seriously?”
USA Today updated Armour’s piece with an editor’s note Thursday stating: “This column has been updated to provide further context and clarity.”
