With the drafting of Caitlin Clark by the Indiana Fever, the WNBA found itself in reach of something it had never attained before. Founded in the late 1990s and funded by the NBA, the women’s league has languished for decades, never coming close to turning a profit.
ALSO SEE: ‘The View’ Decries Caitlin Clark’s Success As ‘White Privilege’
Clark represented a chance to break out of that cycle of failure. Success was finally on the doorstep, and all the other WNBA players had to do was not screw it up.
So what did they do? They decided to set themselves on fire instead out of pure spite and possibly a bit of racism as well. Here’s the latest example.
Entire league out to get Caitlin Clark 😂 pic.twitter.com/aZHN9FUhgN
— WNBA Rookie Watch (@WNBARookieWatch) June 1, 2024
That’s someone named Chennedy Carter deciding to take Clark to the ground while shouting obscenities at her. Despite how violent it was, the referees only called a common foul. Angel Reece, a former LSU player who hated Clark throughout their collegiate days, then met Carter at the bench to hug and congratulate her for the cheap shot that was delivered.
This is the WNBA.
Angel Reese just hugged her teammate for shoving Caitlin Clark to the ground and calling her a “bitch.”
I thought @elleduncanESPN and @chiney said Reese is one of the classiest women around and Clark is not a target?
— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) June 1, 2024
After the game, Carter was defiant and refused to answer questions about the incident.
A little bit more from Chennedy Carter on that Caitlin Clark foul.
Teresa Weatherspoon eventually cut off questioning after Chennedy said she didn’t want to answer any questions about the foul. https://t.co/nBZ92bi67E pic.twitter.com/T5jEPO0aAG
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) June 1, 2024
That’s not the first instance of Clark being targeted, either. Through her first ten games, she’s been repeatedly flagrantly fouled by players with an ax to grind. The referees have largely turned a blind eye to it for some reason.
I invested $100,000 into WNBA stocks just before Caitlin Clark was drafted, thinking she would take this eye sore of a stud league to the next level. 5 games into her career & I’m pulling my investments. This league is beyond saving. No foul calls on assault & battery. Cooked. pic.twitter.com/GhSygLTZXa
— J. Mulholland (@MulhollandL0ver) May 23, 2024
Angel Reese with the elbow & stare down on Caitlin Clark 👀
This wasn’t called a foul 😳 pic.twitter.com/1MqXpkLRon
— betr (@betr) June 1, 2024
Now ask yourself, how many of the new fans who have tuned into the WNBA specifically because of the promise Clark brought to the league are going to stick around if this is how its other players operate?
Sure enough, ratings for the WNBA are crashing after an initial boost. All the hype in the world provided by Clark isn’t enough to make up for how garbage the rest of the league is. It’s a bad product filled with bad players. Whether it’s jealousy, racism, or something else, many of them seem content to keep making McDonald’s money while flying coach rather than helping their league succeed. The WNBA deserves what it gets.
