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Caitlin Clark's treatment by the WNBA's players and refs has sparked debate
Caitlin Clark was on the wrong end of a dirty foul on Wednesday night, as Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Clark’s neck after a collision near the basket. The clear foul, however, was not called by the refs and has thus become fuel for a debate about how Clark is treated by the league.
The WNBA’s refs not properly protecting Caitlin Clark isn’t just a fringe online opinion, either, as Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White ripped the league for it in her postgame comments.
“We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots [against her] right there that weren’t called… We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. [Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called,” White told reporters after the loss, which saw Clark exit the game in the third quarter due to a back injury.
Boomer Esiason connected Caitlin Clark’s perceived treatment by WNBA players and refs to her being straight and white
The foul on Clark and the WNBA’s general treatment of her became a national story on Thursday — the likes of Colin Cowherd and Dan Patrick, among others, discussed it on their shows — especially after the league left her out of a 30-year anniversary graphic they shared on social media. A narrative that the WNBA has failed to properly prop up a perceived golden goose in Clark is beginning to gain traction among fans and sports media personalities.
According to former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, who now hosts a radio show in New York City, Clark’s treatment has to do with the fact that she’s straight and white.
“I think there is a petty jealousy. She’s a straight white basketball player and she is not being treated with any sort of respect,” Esiason said in part during his June 25 show.
“If I were Caitlin Clark, I would seriously consider going to play overseas somewhere and get the royal treatment…she’s a straight white basketball player. And she is not being treated with any sort of respect” – Boomer Esiason pic.twitter.com/zeFRdOMLVn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 25, 2026
Last season, her second in the WNBA, Clark appeared in just 13 games due to a string of injuries she suffered. This season, Clark has already matched that figure, and is averaging a career-best 20.4 points per game.