A recent string of controversies around Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has longtime sports commentator Cari Champion sounding the alarm on what she sees as “blatant favoritism” from the refs and the league office toward its “supernova.”
During a game last week against the Golden State Valkyries, Clark got into several dust-ups with veteran wing Tiffany Hayes, which later came under more scrutiny after Hayes engaged with fans online who encouraged further confrontations with Clark.
That led Champion to recall an incident last season in which Clark went viral for telling a referee to open their eyes, which Champion compared with a recent technical for Dallas star Paige Bueckers, which seemingly was called simply because Bueckers clapped.
On top of that, Clark was quite dismissive of the controversy around her late scratch for a home game last week, for which the WNBA issued Indiana a warning for breaking injury reporting rules.
In total, Champion believes that while some of the issues can be chalked up to “growing pains” of a young star athlete and understandable frustration with intense media scrutiny, the pattern suggests preferential treatment toward Clark that other stars do not enjoy.
“That type of blatant favoritism annoys the hell out of me,” Champion said Wednesday on her Flagrant & Funny podcast.
“I don’t know if this is her fault, because I think it might be unfair for me to say that this is her fault. But at the same time, it’s like, why is she getting this special treatment? And it just is, yet again, another example of the league and its fans… being so precious with her.”
Later, Champion offered even stronger criticism of Clark and the fans who followed her into the WNBA, arguing that the “entitlement” in the way Clark communicates with referees and coaches is out of bounds.
“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘I don’t like you. I don’t like the way you behave on the court,'” Champion said.
“And the league is positioning you to be its superstar because you are, and with leadership comes certain responsibility. And if you don’t want that responsibility, I understand that. But the way that you behave, this entitlement, the way you are talking to your coaches… you enjoy that. So if that’s what you enjoy, if you want to be the villain, if you want to be the tough person … then let it be. Because we’re coming at you the same way we could come at anyone else. And her fans need to recognize that. Like, she chooses that behavior.”
Champion offered multiple examples in and out of the WNBA, including Bueckers, Napheesa Collier, and A’ja Wilson as well as Serena Williams and LeBron James, who have made mistakes in how they operate as the public face of their leagues while still not crossing the line.
In comparison to those athletes, Champion believes that Clark gets a pass not only in how she is sometimes covered, but also in how the WNBA as an institution treats her.
“I think the league is not handling her well,” Champion said. “I don’t think coddling her behind the scenes is going to create what they think it’s going to create.”
Before the issue gets bigger, Champion and cohost Jemele Hill agreed, someone needs to step in and level-set with Clark, whether that be the Fever coaching staff or the WNBA commissioner.
Because Clark is such a lightning rod, many prominent commentators have completely opposite opinions about aspects of her game and personality. Many believe WNBA referees actually allow far more physicality toward Clark than other stars. And while Champion argued Clark is experiencing the inevitable ramifications of being a top player in the league, others have accused the WNBA of stifling Clark’s popularity in marketing and promotional content.
When it comes to Clark’s relationship with the league office, perhaps the best rule of thumb is the old idea that if both sides are equally aggravated, that equilibrium is ultimately a sign of proper balance.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.