Lin Dunn (Izq) y Christie Sides (Der) han pedido a la WNBA que defienda Caitlin Clark.
Not everyone has taken Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA well. The former college star has been the constant subject of flagrant fouls, prompting several voices to protest these attacks. Now, it was Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn’s turn to ask the league leadership to take action on the matter.
Clark has had a tough few weeks trying to adjust to the faster, much more physical game of the WNBA. The adjustment has included more than one hit that has not been punished or has barely been called a foul by the referees.
Among the first is the foul that knocked Clark to the floor in the game against the Seattle Storm, by Ezi Magbegor. Days later, Aari McDonald gave Clark a hard closeout in the game against the Los Angeles Sparks. The play was called a foul but was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after a video review.
Just this weekend, the former Iowa Hawkeye took another hard hit, this time from Chennedy Carter, in the game against the Chicago Sky, sparking outrage from everyone, including Lin Dunn.
Dunn’s wrath
After weeks of silence in the face of multiple fouls against Clark, Dunn finally spoke out. The former coach and now general manager of the Fever took to her account on X, formerly Twitter, to protest. “There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary targeting actions!” Dunn claimed.
Near the end of the third quarter, Carter scored two points and when Clark was waiting for the inbound pass, the Sky player hit her hard with her shoulder, sending the Fever guard to the ground. The referees called the foul and gave a free throw to Indiana, which ultimately won 71-70.
“It needs to stop! The league needs to ‘clean up’ the crap!” Dunn protested after the repeated attacks on her player. Finally, she also called out the rest of the WNBA, saying, “That’s NOT who this league is!!”
Those who defend Clark
Dunn is not alone; other voices have been raised in protest of the treatment of the former university star, starting with Fever coach Christie Sides, who also called for action from the league. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green called on Clark’s teammates to retaliate after every flagrant foul.
Even outside the world of basketball, there have been protests against the attacks on the player. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac said she was upset by Carter’s actions and Angel Reese’s attitude. Meanwhile, boxing influencer Jake Paul asked the league to do something before someone gets seriously hurt.
Analysts have given various reasons for the fouls against Clark, from professional jealousy to a legitimate tactic to “soften up” an opponent. The player has shown a good attitude towards everything she is experiencing, while fans can only wait to see how far the controversy will go.
