WNBA fans have witnessed “repeated acts of unnecessary physical hostility and violence.”
The June 24 WNBA game during which Caitlin Clark was struck in the throat and kneed/kicked was perhaps the first time where the on-court abuse regularly experienced by the Indiana Fever superstar has garnered widespread attention.
As [your]NEWS has previously reported, 11 U.S. House Republicans subsequently wrote to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert “demanding accountability” with the implication of a potential federal civil rights investigation.
Parenthetically, as [your]NEWS reported back in August 2025, Sean McLean, a former Trump administration official, similarly called for an investigation.
The members of the Republican Study Committee, three of whom represent Indiana congressional districts, are thus a little late to the party with their July 7 memo.
Since Clark entered the league in 2024 after an illustrious career at the University of Iowa, opponents have guarded her as if it’s the main event at Wrestlemania rather than a basketball game.
Some of have even hyperbolically likened the treatment to a rugby match or a UFC fight.
Anyone who has attended middle school or high school, which is just about everyone, recognizes bullying for what it is.
U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, the chair of the above-referenced committee, took to X (formerly Twitter) to say he and his colleagues are “demanding accountability from….Engelbert after MULTIPLE attacks against Caitlin Clark.”
Plfuger posted the letter on X, which read, in part:
“…Unfortunately, what [fans] all too often witness is not simply aggressive competition, but repeated acts of unnecessary physical hostility and violence. Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable…
“As Commissioner, you have an obligation to ensure that every player competes in a safe and professional environment, both on and off the court, free from violence, discrimination, or retaliation. If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission…”
Whether this letter is just a form of grandstanding that won’t accomplish much, if anything, Engelbert has a July 24 deadline to, among other things, explain the WNBA’s “review mechanism for physical hostility and violence on the court.”
Much of this contention could have been at least theoretically avoided.
In the 2024 season when this misbehavior became evident, Engelbert — the executive whose job it is to pay attention — should have immediately convened a meeting with all the refs and informed them that the league strictly prohibits hazing against any player in the WNBA, and they should officiate games with that as a priority.
As things stand now, and for whatever reason, the refs continue to be part of the problem rather part of the solution.
Clark spent most of the 2025 season on the injured list. One school of thought is that various rough, in-game encounters contributed to her injury woes last year.
It’s been suggested that the WNBA is more about identity than performance, and that the “angry feminists” (journalist/podcaster Jason Whitlock’s terminology) may have let their petty jealousy get physical.
He also dubbed Clark as “the reason for the season.”
Shouldn’t gratitude be the order of the day instead of envy?
After all, Clark is responsible for the huge, and probably underserved, pay raises the players received under their new contract, that the teams now fly private, and that the elevated level of interest led to the WNBA signing a lucrative TV rights deal.
As an aside, in 2026 All-Star voting, irrational WNBA players inexplicably ranked Caitlin Clark the 11th best guard in the league, which retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Candace Parker described as “crazy.” She added that “I think people need to look at themselves in the mirror and realize, like, man, you’ve got some insecurities if you’re sitting down and putting Caitlin Clark as the 11th-best guard.”
In the pro sports industry, generally, history has shown that on-court or on-field officials tend to be overly deferential to stars, often infuriatingly and unfairly so.
In the WNBA, it’s just the opposite, at least when it comes to Caitlin Clark. In fact, the refs don’t hesitate to call fouls against her as opposed to often standing around like mannequins when she gets knocked down.
In the above-referenced Alyssa Thomas-Caitlin Clark incident (during a Fever-Phoenix Mercury game that otherwise featured a lot of pushing and shoving among the players), the referees again weren’t minding the store.
It was only later, probably due to bad PR, that the WNBA upgraded the play to a Flagrant 2 foul and suspended Mercury forward Thomas for one game.
The aftermath of the game against the Mercury was one of the few times where head coach Stephanie White backed up Caitlin Clark and spoke out against inconsistent or incompetent officiating.
Maybe she got a phone call, but Coach White subsequently went on a rant that made it sound like Thomas was a victim because of threats the latter had reportedly received following the incident.
Clark is not a victim per se, either. At 24, she’s already a multi-millionaire, and then some, through her many endorsement opportunities. She is a player under a lot of pressure of all kinds, though.
Although Clark can across petulant on the court, she’s always been measured and poised in interacting with the media, typically taking the high road amidst all the drama.
Clark has also spoken publicly about the need for better officiating, as [your]NEWS has noted. At the same time, she has condemned harassment aimed at other players.
Death threats are unacceptable, reprehensible, and disgusting, and authorities should arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
Longtime ESPN anchor Linda Cohn wondered, however, if Alyssa Thomas has reported this to the police or the FBI “because they’ll find who’s responsible.”
Insofar as the bad referee scenario is concerned, Cohn, who is likely speaking for many fans, said “Be better, officials. Is there an agenda here that I don’t know about?”
In other instances, the WNBA seems to have taken the position that it should be uniquely immune from social media trolling that’s become commonplace in the sports sector.
The league has also at times seems to smear Indiana Fever fans even though they’re the ones buying tickets at venues all over the country and watching at home.
Fever management has also been derelict in failing to protect that only player that makes the league relevant, including at the box office, on TV, and with merch sales.
New York Post columnist Rich Lowry claims that “In terms of sheer economic value, Caitlin Clark is the Elon Musk of the WNBA.”
Maybe outsiders are reading too much into this sports soap opera, but there seems to be subtext that Coach White is unwilling or unable to maximize Caitlin Clark’s talent. The coach even seems grudging in her praise of the prolific point guard.
If that’s the case, how in the world did Fever management conclude that it made sense to fire Christie Sides and replace her with White?
What discussions about the direction of team took place during the job interview?
Perhaps the internal dynamics of the Fever will be publicly revealed sometime in the future.
In the meantime, as a thought experiment, imagine, e.g., if Phil Jackson had resented coaching Michael Jordan or Steve Kerr resented coaching Steph Curry.
Obviously, it’s almost impossible to imagine.
Whether under Sides or White, on day one, the coach should have said to Caitlin Clark, “here are the car keys; take us home.”
There are also rumors, however unfounded and maybe just for click bait, that the Fever might trade Caitlin Clark.
If so, the Indiana Fever might as well as hang a ‘going out of business’ sign at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Any trade also would upend this season’s TV and streaming schedule.
If she’s not traded, Clark will have a lot of leverage with the Fever or any other team when she enters free agency. That may include determining the status of the head coach. That’s become routine in the NBA for better or worse — mostly worse.
Coming off a back injury, Clark only played 16 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the L.A. Sparks. It’s difficult for any player to get into the flow when her minutes are sprinkled here and there throughout the game. As planned, she did not play in Thursday’s 92-89 win over the Mercury.
Perhaps the Fever may have held her out of that particular game to avoid any potential further controversy.
In the long run, the Fever can’t win without Catlin Clark, regardless of what her detractors – be they within or outside the organization — might think or pretend to think.
Scuffles have also occurred between WNBA teams other than the Indiana Fever.
According to Fox News, the GOP lawmakers’ letter “comes as the WNBA continues to face mounting criticism over its officiating despite an offseason overhaul intended to improve consistency and player safety. Engelbert formed a task force of coaches and executives before the season to address concerns over excessive physicality and freedom of movement.”
FNC added that “But nearly two months into the year, coaches, players and front-office personnel around the league continue to voice frustration with inconsistent whistles, missed calls and what many believe is a lack of accountability.”
Parenthetically, Alyssa Thomas accidentally elbowed Fever small forward Lexie Hull in the nose in the third quarter of Thursday night’s game.
https://twitter.com/SnapshotKyle/status/2075419199154078084
The Fever, hopefully with Caitlin Clark playing the entire game, are back in action on Sunday evening against the Las Vegas Aces.
According to Outkick, both Coach White and the Fever deflected when asked about the letter from the congressional committee.
With reference to the WNBA ecosystem, New York Post columnist Lowry rhetorically wondered “What sports league, handed a generational talent who has played brilliantly and delivered massive commercial dividends, would make this very same player seem unwelcome and an object of scorn?”
He asserted that the June 24 incident “was shocking given Clark’s importance to women’s basketball — a little like Tom Brady getting clotheslined, or Shohei Ohtani getting hit by a pitch, and the refs or umps not noticing.”
To end on a positive note, watch Caitlin Clark calmly drill the game-winning three pointer against the Washington Mystics on June 8, in one of the most exciting and clutch plays of the WNBA season so far: