Stacey Dales provides much-needed logic to ESPN's Caitlin Clark coverage, dismantles race-baiter on set
On Thursday, we explained how ESPN has failed to represent more than one side of the Caitlin Clark discourse, acting as if its coverage is indicative of the consensus opinion. Since Clark's debut in the WNBA in 2024, ESPN has often prioritized discussions about identity politics over the product on the court.
That was evident when the network chose David Dennis Jr. to fill in for Stephen A. Smith this week on "First Take." Dennis claimed with a straight face that Clark isn't even "one of" the top guards in the WNBA and that players punching her in the throat are simply playing basketball.
For background, ESPN hired Dennis in 2021, marketing him in part as the son of a civil rights activist. As an ESPN employee, his greatest hits include calling Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad "mortifying" and a form of "eugenics." He argued that White people have a "moral obligation" to defend Black people, even when Black people wrong them. He also wrote a hit piece the day Hulk Hogan died, urging Americans to remember him "only as a racist." He, of course, offered no such moral accounting when writing about Kobe Bryant's legacy.
As revealing as it is that ESPN employs someone like Dennis, it's just as telling that the network has rarely offered viewers an informed counterweight when discussing Clark.
To its credit, the network finally did on Friday.
Stacey Dales, a former WNBA All-Star and current NFL Network reporter, joined "First Take" to debate Dennis. Put simply, she offered a notable upgrade in intelligence.
"It is insulting. It is preposterous. ... Caitlin Clark is exceptional," Dales said after WNBA players voted Clark 11th among guards for the All-Star Game, a result Dennis defended.
As Dales walked through Clark's statistics and on-court impact, a visibly flustered Dennis interrupted.
"But her turnovers!"
Dales acknowledged the point before explaining that Clark's turnover totals are largely a function of how often the ball is in her hands. For comparison, Nikola Jokic, who is widely regarded as the NBA's best player, finished third in turnovers last season. Luka Doncic finished first.
No logical person would argue that Jokic and Doncic aren't among the best players at their positions. Then again, many ESPN's regulars seem to struggle with giving White players their due. So maybe they would.
Once Dales addressed the turnover argument, Dennis pivoted to "wins." He claimed that because the Fever are 4-0 without Clark, her standing among the league's top guards is diminished. Dales was ready to respond before the host cut her off and ended the segment.
Frankly, we don't blame the producers. Their fill-in analyst had already been exposed enough.
Notice not just Dales' command of the subject, but how she covered Caitlin Clark. She made her points by discussing — wait for it — basketball.
Not once did Dales mention Clark's race or sexuality, or anyone else's. She didn't accuse fans of racism or lecture viewers about identity. She simply stuck to basketball. It worked.
We have no idea what Dales' politics are, whether she finds attractive White women "mortifying," or where she ranks various groups on the hierarchy of victimhood. Nor do we need to. We know she understands basketball.
"A counterbalance has arrived!" sports media reporter Ryan Glasspiegel observed while watching Dales' appearance on First Take.
"As a former WNBA All-Star and First-Team All-American, Dales is somebody who has the credibility to be a counterbalance to people who downplay Clark's performance," Glasspiegel told OutKick. "It is also immediately clear from her commentary that she has kept up with watching the games."
Indeed.
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It's fair to wonder if many of ESPN's WNBA commentators actually watch the games. That's how little substance some of their analysis contains.
Just as importantly, Dales has the credibility that when she does criticize Clark, viewers understand it's rooted in an analysis of sports.
Analysts like Dennis, Chiney Ogwumike, and Monica McNutt have lost much of that credibility because their arguments about Clark have become so personal and so illogical.
McNutt has argued that Clark is popular only because she is White. Ogwumike claimed Clark wasn't really punched in the throat, saying the "freeze frame" merely made it look that way — as if none of us had access to the video of the play.
The larger point is that ESPN could use four or five more Stacey Daleses across its programming to drown out the racial idolatry that has infected too much of the network's coverage.
With ESPN's acquisition of NFL Network, it now has that opportunity. Along with Dales, the network can tap credible voices such as Cynthia Frelund, Jane Slater, Tom Pelissero, and Daniel Jeremiah.
Unfortunately, don't expect to see Dales on "First Take" very often once Stephen A. Smith returns. Smith has long preferred lighter opposition at the debate desk. Just ask Max Kellerman.
Nonetheless, Dales proved it's still possible to discuss Caitlin Clark as what she is first and foremost: a basketball player.
Now, expect David Dennis Jr. to go share demeaning posts about Dales as a White woman on his private Bluesky account.
Seriously, whichever executives are putting this guy on television should be fired immediately. He's that bad. Just look at his bewildered face when Dales explained to him how stupid his arguments were.