Elle Duncan makes a fool of herself saying she and Black women are the real victims of the WNBA discourse

Former ESPN anchor Elle Duncan called the discourse surrounding "toxic as hell" and claimed that Black women are the target.

"It feels like open season to dunk on Black women because we do not have protection. Because no one cares. Because we are low-hanging fruit," Duncan said of the WNBA discourse during a discussion with Front Office Sports on Tuesday.

"It is very easy to dunk on us since we are, I would say, outside of , the most marginalized of the marginalized groups."

FORMER ESPN ANCHOR SMEARS CAITLIN CLARK FANS WITH SWEEPING, FALSE ACCUSATIONS OF RACISM | MATT CALKINS

Duncan, a highly peculiar individual, then accused "opportunists" of latching on to Caitlin Clark as a means of diminishing Black and queer women.

"Its twofold for them—so you get to lift this one person up, and you get to, ultimately, reduce everybody else that isnt her to nothing," Duncan said.

At this point, you probably expect us to respond to the examples Duncan provided to support her claims about Black women in America and the WNBA. Unfortunately, we cannot. Duncan didn't provide any.

On the surface, I reject her premise.

She says Black women lack protection, yet her own career suggests otherwise.

ESPN hired Duncan after she was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in April 2013. She then repeatedly used ESPN's sports programming to make personal political statements.

She reportedly lobbied behind the scenes to have the company remove Sage Steele from a social justice special in 2020 over concerns about Steele's "Blackness," whatever that means. Steele was removed.

On at least two occasions, Duncan interrupted the network's sports coverage to protest legislation.

She first called for a moment of silence in response to Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. She later used the SportsCenter set to condemn the Supreme Court's decision to return abortion policy to the states, calling on fathers to support their daughters' ability to obtain abortions.

Last year, she again ventured into political commentary on ESPN, declaring that "everyone" should adore and love former first lady Michelle Obama. Imagine the reaction if an ESPN anchor had instructed viewers that "everyone" should adore and love first lady Melania Trump.

Yet ESPN did not discipline Duncan or distance itself from her commentary, as it did Steele after she discussed political and social issues in 2021.

By that standard, Duncan appeared quite protected at ESPN.

Despite all of that, Netflix has since hired her to anchor its sports coverage. Talk about privilege.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

I also reject the notion that Black women lack protection in the WNBA, a league composed predominantly of black women.

Recently, A'ja Wilson charged aggressively toward a fan in the stands and avoided a suspension. DiJonai Carrington also avoided discipline after clotheslining Sophie Cunningham this summer and later accusing the WNBA of racism on social media from the locker room.

Black women are also routinely afforded the benefit of the doubt by the media during WNBA controversies. ESPN's primary WNBA studio show features an all-black female panel and has often drawn criticism for holding Clark to a different standard than black players.

Further, it's difficult to take Duncan seriously when she laments the toxicity surrounding WNBA coverage. Duncan was among the media figures who helped politicize the league when Clark arrived.

She was initially ESPN's lead WNBA host, but was hardly a neutral observer. Duncan repeatedly shamed