Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
Share
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
The Wednesday exchange went viral on social media, and critics said it underscored the difficulties many female athletes have in gaining respect and equal treatment from sports journalists, who are frequently male.
The discussion began with Gregg Doyel, a columnist for the Indianapolis Star newspaper, making a heart with his hands to Clark, a gesture Clark often used during her college basketball career.
Clark responded, "You like that?" Doyel replied, "I like that you’re here," and Clark explained, "Yeah, I do that at my family after every game." Then Doyel added, "Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine."
Doyel apologized later that same day.
"Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature [heart hands emoji]," he wrote in a post on X shortly after the incident. "My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize."
In a separate post on X, he added: "Caitlin Clark, I’m so sorry. Today I was part of the problem," the title of his apology column that published Wednesday.
Even though Doyel posted his apologies to the social media platform, and in his own column, for the sexist remarks he made to the basketball phenom, the discussion he provoked about misogyny in sports hasn’t come to a close.
Doyel’s back and forth with Clark was almost universally panned online. Media figures from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic and NBC to Dave Portnoy (whose own Barstool Sports has been accused of upholding a sexist culture) slammed Doyel after the clip spread across the internet.
Meanwhile, the Indy Star writer went so far as to use the stages of grief to illustrate how he arrived at his moment of clarity.
"After going through denial, and then anger — I’m on the wrong side of this? Me??? — I now realize what I said and how I said it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I mean it was just wrong," he wrote in his column. "Caitlin Clark, I’m so sorry."
But users on X accused him of using the incident as a way to produce content and of missing the point of the offending behavior.
The controversy also comes as conversations about how WNBA players are compensated heat up and as the power of women in entertainment and sports reaches unprecedented heights.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.
Montreal police are facing pressure to move in and dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on McGill University campus on Thursday, as a growing number of universities across this country grapple with the tough decision of how to handle the protests.
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
A heavy police presence was at McGill University on Thursday morning, as counter-protesters assembled opposite the pro-Palestinian encampment at the school.
Montreal police are facing pressure to move in and dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on McGill University campus on Thursday, as a growing number of universities across this country grapple with the tough decision of how to handle the protests.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
A Cape Breton man who had a collection of police uniforms, patches and hats has pleaded guilty to a charge under the province's Police Identity Management Act.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in custody and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.
The European Union announced Thursday an aid package for Lebanon of 1 billion euros — about US$1.06 billion — much of which will go to boost border control to halt the flow of asylum seekers and migrants from the small, crisis-wracked country across the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus and Italy.
Gangs in Haiti laid siege to several neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince, burning homes and exchanging gunfire with police for hours as hundreds fled the violence early Thursday in one of the biggest attacks since Haiti's new prime minister was announced.
A Pennsylvania nurse who administered lethal or potentially lethal doses of insulin to numerous patients pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and other charges Thursday and was sentenced to life in prison.
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.
A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury said it was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict in the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq two decades ago.
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
On Friday, Canadians may get long-awaited answers about the integrity of the country's last two elections, which was thrown into question last year as reports of attempted foreign interference came to light. Here's what we learned.
Halle Berry is joining a group of bipartisan senators to push for legislation that would put US$275 million toward research and education around menopause, the significant hormone shift women go through in middle age.
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.
Nova Scotia Power has filed an application with the province's Utility and Review Board to have ratepayers cover the cost of last year's storm damage to the tune of $22 million.
Investors considering where to park their money have a choice: go with a traditional financial adviser or trust in an algorithm. Here are the pros and cons of both.
Frustration over BCE Inc.'s 4,800 job cuts earlier this year spilled over at the company's annual general meeting on Thursday, as investors and employees questioned executives on their compensation during a period of belt-tightening for staff.
A Montreal astrologer and horoscope writer just got a boost on his retirement budget, after winning Loto-Quebec’s Grande-Vie prize, which comes in the form of $1,000 a day for life.
What do you need to pack for a cruise? When it comes to this upcoming cruise from tour and travel company Bare Necessities, the answer appears to be very little.
Nathaly Paola Castro Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
During what they hope is a deep run through the gruelling Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the Edmonton Oilers will take all the time off they can get.
Billie Jean King is a 39-time Grand Slam champion and an equal rights champion — and now she's getting the Breakfast of Champions treatment. The twice-inducted tennis Hall of Famer will appear on a limited-edition box of Wheaties.
Drivers in Saskatchewan will now lose their licence for a week and their vehicle for a month if they are caught committing certain high-speed and dangerous offences on the road.
Rolls-Royce is vastly expanding its factory in Chichester, England. The BMW subsidiary is adding five new buildings with construction planned to start next year.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Mounties are recommending charges against several people after officers seized more than 10 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and opioid pills during a series of raids in Metro Vancouver.
A B.C. man has been convicted of possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking despite claiming the drugs were not his – a defence the judge said he could not "accept or even entertain."
The first weekend of May is a busy one in Vancouver, with a marathon, the start of a documentary film festival, and activities and events for Asian Heritage Month, not to mention a pair of Pearl Jam concerts on either side of a possible (but hopefully unnecessary) Canucks Game 7 at Rogers Arena.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
A synagogue in North York was badly damaged in a two-alarm fire Thursday morning that left one person injured, and officials are working to determine the cause of the blaze.
Calgary police and a local advocacy group are urging citizens to watch for warning signs following a deadly domestic assault in the community of Redstone.
A mentorship pilot program by Business Link aims to help people starting up small businesses by allowing them to learn from others who have a few years of experience under their belts already.
Former Ottawa city councillor Diane Deans is in palliative care after a five-year battle with ovarian cancer, according to Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley.
The Ottawa Police Arson Unit says the fire at an Overbrook apartment building that sent two children and a woman to hospital in critical condition Thursday morning has been deemed suspicious.
A heavy police presence was at McGill University on Thursday morning, as counter-protesters assembled opposite the pro-Palestinian encampment at the school.
A Montreal astrologer and horoscope writer just got a boost on his retirement budget, after winning Loto-Quebec’s Grande-Vie prize, which comes in the form of $1,000 a day for life.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
During what they hope is a deep run through the gruelling Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the Edmonton Oilers will take all the time off they can get.
Nova Scotia Power has filed an application with the province's Utility and Review Board to have ratepayers cover the cost of last year's storm damage to the tune of $22 million.
An employee at a St. Matthews-area grocery store has been suspended and police are investigating after a confrontation with a customer over the weekend.
A signature carbon capture and storage project in Saskatchewan continues to miss emissions reduction goals, raising questions about the cost-effectiveness of the technology, according to a report.
The University of Regina (U of R) is reporting its first balanced budget in years – with the promise to reinvest in student supports as the institution puts its pandemic related fiscal challenges in the rear view mirror.
A Cambridge homeowner says the city ordered him to rebuild a retaining wall along his property on Edward Street. Now, he might have to take a section of it down.
Saskatoon police are asking for the public’s help in investigating a serious assault that occurred on April 24 near a gas station in the 300 block of Confederation Drive.
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Detectives with Sault police, including members of the forensic identification unit, executed a search warrant Thursday inside a residence on Boundary Road.
One person has died following a crash in North Perth late Wednesday night. Around 11:30 p.m. first responders were called to Line 72, east of Perth Road 158 for a passenger vehicle and an off-road vehicle had collided.
A London, Ont. jury heard evidence that the children of a London family were sexually assaulted by other people besides their parents on different occasions.
The family of Jim Lynne is speaking out for the first time since his death in a crash in Wasaga Beach two years ago as the man accused of drunk driving that night prepares to head to trial.
Police in Barrie charged one man with attempted murder after an alleged assault sent one individual to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries on Tuesday.
Publicized as a "spellbinding experience," performers from the French-based Cirque De Paris was left scrambling for a temporary building permit approval on Thursday.
Men in Kilts owner, Ben Snow is frustrated after discovering an aerial lift truck his window washing team had been using at a two-day job near downtown Windsor had been vandalized sometime overnight earlier this week.
A B.C. man has been convicted of possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking despite claiming the drugs were not his – a defence the judge said he could not "accept or even entertain."
Mounties are recommending charges against several people after officers seized more than 10 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and opioid pills during a series of raids in Metro Vancouver.
B.C. has launched its previously announced secondary suite incentive program, with eligible homeowners able to receive thousands of dollars in forgivable loans to construct a rental unit.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
A Transportation Safety Board report says experience, recent training and safety equipment were key factors in a pilot surviving the crash of a firefighting plane south of Cranbrook in August 2022.
A 54-year-old suspect has been charged after Ontario Provincial Police capped a three-month investigation with a raid of a residence in Schreiber, Ont.
Social services in the north are bracing for deep funding cuts to homelessness services and Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus is calling on the federal government to explain why it is scaling back at a time when the north is facing a social disaster.
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.