Last year, we saw Charles Barkley, who isn’t exactly involved in the Caitlin Clark media circus, call out the negativity. He is more like a spectator, and from his seat, the Clark coverage had simply been a mess. “These ladies—and I’m a WNBA fan—they cannot have f—– this Caitlin Clark thing up any worse if they tried,” Barkley had said, and many would agree. Now, though, the Indiana Fever star is in her sophomore year, and that begs the question: Have things changed? Well, according to Rachel DeMita, not really.

In Caitlin Clark’s rookie season, she earned 66 out of 67 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. That lone missing vote didn’t sit well with many, so much so that ESPN’s Andraya Carter said she wants to make voting “not anonymous”. The only dissenting vote went to Clark’s longtime college rival, Angel Reese, who had been a strong contender before a season-ending wrist injury. “No no no, I’m (going to) pick it up because she should have been a unanimous Rookie of the Year,” Carter’s co-host Chiney Ogwumike said. “Ever since Angel Reese had that injury, and also coming off of Olympic break, Caitlin Clark separated herself. She should have been unanimous”. And just like that, the entire media industry was under the microscope.

Fast forward to 2025, and we have another No.1 pick in Paige Bueckers, who is making a strong case for the RoTY honor. However, the things the media is publishing and saying now differ largely from what Clark received. At least, as per Rachel DeMita, who called it out directly: “The media just covers things so much differently with Caitlin than they do with Paige,” she shared in a recent episode of her podcast, pointing to a potential double standard. Well, she is here pointing out a pattern that many noticed last year.

Coming into the W, Caitlin Clark’s impact was undeniable. Her preseason debut in Iowa was an instant sellout, resale tickets climbed to around $670, families made road trips just to watch her play, and arenas filled with young girls in No. 22 jerseys. Then, right as she climbed to the top of the MVP betting boards, the media mood flipped. Her stats didn’t change; only the trends did. You know how people start disliking and criticizing popular things just for the sake of it, just because the trend of pushback seems cool? An article that appeared on The Spectator sort of put it into perspective, as Ben Domenech wrote, “Most non-sports commentators writing and discussing Clark’s controversial entry into the pros have never had an opinion about basketball until five minutes ago“.

In examining how Bueckers has been treated, though, there are two sides to the coin: she hasn’t received the superstar-level attention Clark did in her rookie year, but that same lack of spotlight has shielded her from harsher criticism. Still, the media hasn’t consistently recognized her as a legitimate Rookie of the Year contender. Case in point: despite her strong performances, ESPN framed the RoTY race as being between her teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron.

“Iriafen’s toughest competition has been her teammate. Citron, the No. 3 pick, is averaging 14.0 points while shooting 48.9% overall, 40.5% from 3-point range and 89.3% from the free throw line. No. 1 pick Bueckers might make a push for the award once she’s back in the lineup,” ESPN had written in its June report after five ESPN writers in May unanimously predicted that Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers would win the 2025 Rookie of the Year award.

That didn’t sit well with many. Still, DeMita believes Paige enjoys more favorable media coverage, though she also made it clear that she’s not trying to discredit Bueckers. “I still think Paige deserves Rookie of the Year,” Rachel DeMita further added, “but if you’re going by the media standards and what people were saying last year, it’s interesting to compare.”

That doesn’t mean Paige Bueckers is any less tough.

When PB arrived, she started slow, but that’s the norm for rookies in the league. Once she found her rhythm, her impact was immediate, delivering standout performances including a fast-break double-double and a 35-point explosion from beyond the arc.

Just look at the Wings’ last game, where Bueckers scored 17 points to lead the team while moving into a tie for fourth place in W history with Ruthie Bolton for her 25th straight double-digit scoring game. That’s something PB has — along with a championship title — that many haven’t achieved in their rookie season.

Still, PB knows her journey is different from CC’s — not only because they play different positions but also because they have different playing styles and goals for their teams. And as for the media attention? PB actually asked for a change back in her final season at Connecticut: “I honestly hope next year I’m not the focal point and the only person that gets attention. I hope as media, as players, we can spread the love a little bit more.”

And this year, she doubled down on it, saying, “But a lot of it too is, they’re (media) trying to isolate you. And for me, it was like, it’s so easy to make everything about yourself. The media gives you a drink, and are you going to drink it, or are you going to share it with others?”

Still, can’t help but think: will PB win ROTY?