I don’t always agree with Claressa Shields, but this time, she is right.
Shields recently took aim at ESPN for leaving her off an esteemed list of female athletes, and I see her point. The graphic aired on ESPN on Friday, and it recognized Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Caitlin Clark as trailblazers in women’s sports. ESPN made an error by not including Shields in the graphic.
Never too shy to express her opinion, Shields didn’t let the omission slide. She took to social media to question the network’s approach and share her resume. Shields posted an image of herself with all her title belts and Olympic gold medals.
In the text portion of the post, she listed her top accomplishments as a boxer. “Wow @espn Y’all have really lost yall mind!!!!! Do I have to run my resume down to y’all!!! 2x Olympic champ 🥇 🥇 3x Undisputed champ 5 weight world champion 15x world champ WOMENS BOXING Trailblazer”
Shields has been fighting for women’s boxing and her own brand to receive the attention and respect she feels it deserves but has been lacking. Shields has even ventured into mixed martial arts to achieve fame and the paydays her male counterparts wouldn’t have to pursue.
The size of the audience is the real factor. When stars begin to show up, the audiences will grow. It’s really that simple. We have seen this with Clark and her impact on the WNBA. Perhaps ESPN is saying Shields has not impacted the viewership for women’s boxing on a level comparable to Clark and the WNBA, Williams in women’s tennis, Biles in women’s gymnastics, and Ledecky in women’s swimming.
You could argue that all those outstanding athletes had a predecessor who laid the groundwork for them on every level. In any case, ESPN omitting Shields from this list likely aligns with the other forms of disrespect she believes she has endured throughout her career.
As I said, I don’t always agree with Shields’ cries for respect and attention, but she deserves to be on this list. It’s odd timing for ESPN in one respect as the network is set to broadcast a boxing event on Friday night, headlined by one of the most prominent female boxing stars in the past 10 years, Mikaela Mayer.
The 34-year-old Colorado Springs native will have her second chance to win a welterweight title as she challenges Sandy Ryan in the main event of a card emanating from Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden. The card is co-headlined by Puerto Rican boxing sensation Xander Zayas and features rising star Bruce “Shoo Shoo” Carrington.
The network is honoring women’s boxing on a fight weekend that also features women’s world championship fights in Atlanta, with Alycia Baumgardner defending her undisputed super featherweight title against Delfine Persoon and Rhiannon defending her title against perennial contender Terri Harper on Saturday.
With so much attention being paid to women’s boxing this weekend and coverage increasing overall, it’s easier to understand why Shields would feel slighted personally and on behalf of women’s boxing. While women like Laila Ali, Christy Martin, and Holly Holm were making waves in boxing before Shields, no one has taken it to the level the self-proclaimed GWOAT has in their career.
I would love to have seen Shields wait for someone else to ask how she was left off this list. As it is, I still agree with the concept and wonder if ESPN might consider shrinking the font size and adding a panel to hold a spot for Shields.
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