While Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is bringing the WNBA more revenue and attention than anyone, it’s also seemingly putting a greater target on her back.
There are plenty of moments over the past two seasons where opponents appear to go out of their way to pester Clark on and off the court. The most notable examples stem from her rivalry with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.
Despite a plethora of instances that many believe warrant fines or penalties, the WNBA remains quiet, which is clearly frustrating one reporter.
Analyst Rips WNBA for Treatment of Caitlin Clark
Christine Brennan is a longtime analyst and reporter who is publicly coming forth with her opinion about how the face of the WNBA is being treated. She is releasing a book on Clark in the near future, but clearly couldn’t wait for its launch to rip apart league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Brennan appeared on WHO13 News, where she called out Engelbert for seemingly turning a blind eye when it comes to problems relating to Clark.
“The way [Englebert] has trouble talking about Caitlin Clark, or if she’s asked about Caitlin, she’ll say Caitlin and Angel. Well, she wasn’t asked about Angel,” Brennan said. “You know, she was asked about Caitlin. This incredible inability to deal with the facts and state the obvious, it is astounding to me.”
In fairness to Engelbert, the fan divide between Clark and Reese often sparks even more intrigue from fans than the Fever guard does on her own. Still, the former Iowa Hawkeye is deserving of respect and credit in her own right, shattering records at just age 23.
Brennan continued, “How Cathy Engelbert doesn’t come out after the Marina Mabrey hit and say, ‘That’s unacceptable, the refs got it wrong. You should have been kicked out then. You weren’t. But now I’m going to kick you out, and now you’re suspended for another game or two.’ That’s just unacceptable behavior for someone who’s that important to the league or to any player, right? [The league] can’t do that. They seem paralyzed.”
“But it does make you wonder, me as a human being, what’s going on, and why is it still so bad and so opposite of what any capitalist company–it’s capitalism 101–you’ve got someone here. Run with it,” Brennan concluded.
Caitlin Clark has missed significant time this season with injuries, but once she’s consistently back on the floor, it’s possible Engelbert and the WNBA’s other higher-ups will keep a closer eye on how she is treated.
So sick of this B.S. everybody act like other teams are just supposed to ” O’lay ” her to the basket. It called DEFENSE!