Caitlin Clark had the wind knocked out of her after Iowa’s upset loss to Ohio State in Columbus on Sunday. The unfortunate incident could have been avoided, but it also could have been a lot worse.
She is okay!
Caitlin Clark collided with a fan who was rushing the court to celebrate the win. Or the fan collided with her. It depends on who you ask and how that person sees the situation.
Neither party was directly responsible for the collision. They were both at fault.
Caitlin Clark and the fan got rocked!
The Buckeyes ultimately took the blame and their athletic director apologized to Clark. Their protocols could have been better enforced. Security should have ensured that the visiting players were protected from the court storm on their way back to the locker room.
Iowa‘s superstar guard agrees, but she understands that things happen.
You know, this is what comes with the territory. I mean, I’m sure they tried their best to do whatever they could. Obviously, it didn’t work and that’s disappointing.
— Caitlin Clark
Both Clark and the fan fell down as result of the impact. It was not a great scene and the Ohio State student has been chastised for injuring one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of all-time.
Upon further review, Clark ran into the fan just as much as the fan ran into Clark.
Caitlin Clark injury after the Ohio State game… pic.twitter.com/uLwtBmxF99
— DadsDontPlay (@Dadsdontplay) January 21, 2024
They were both minding their own business. They just so happened to be on crossing trajectories at the same time and met in the middle.
Look at this flop job by Caitlin Clark to get sympathy pic.twitter.com/jylcHFtmDo
— JayMo (@crassiux) January 21, 2024
In fact, it was Clark who extended her arms! (Which is a completely natural reaction in that situation.)
Hope everyone is okay. That said, there is only one person who extended their arms here…#catlinclark #OhioState pic.twitter.com/rmUWbwNreF
— Rachael Camille (@rrichSEA10) January 21, 2024
Nobody wants to see Clark go down after crashing into a fan who was storming the court. Security protocols failed her. The entire thing was a huge bummer, and for a moment, pretty scary.
However, to put the burden on the court-storming fan would not be fair. To put the burden on Clark would also not be fair. All of the criticism toward both parties is moot.
It was a freak incident that could have been avoided.