USA Today columnist Nancy Armour apologised after comparing controversy surrounding WNBA player Caitlin Clark with the murder of Emmett Till in a column. The comparison drew criticism because Till’s 1955 lynching was a racist killing, making the reference highly sensitive and widely seen as inappropriate in a sports debate.

Armour said the comparison had been “inartful” and that she had intended to link issues facing the WNBA with its All-Star weekend. The article reports that her earlier column argued Clark’s prominence and on-court behaviour could place Black and queer players at risk, while critics objected to both that argument and the invocation of Till.