Following the recent on and off-the-court drama surrounding rookie Caitlin Clark, a US Congressman took aim at the WNBA this week over their lack of accountability in punishing a player who took a cheap shot at the Indiana Fever star.
There was a great deal of excitement about Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA this year. The Iowa Hawkeyes star is the greatest scorer in college basketball history and she played a massive role in the boom in interest for the collegiate side of the sport the last two years. The same was expected for the W in 2024.
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While ratings and ticket sales are up for the WNBA over the first month of the season, Clark has become a divisive figure. There are some around the game frustrated with the years of work put into the league going unnoticed until Clark arrived. While others believe veteran players should be thankful for the huge interest the rookie has brought to the league.
It all came to a head last week when Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter had a heated on-court altercation with the Fever rookie during a game and was not punished for the incident. Well, that did not sit well with Indiana Congressman Jim Banks.
“Indiana is a basketball state. We don’t wince at aggressive defense, but this was not an example of playing ‘tough,’” Banks wrote in a letter to the WNBA this week about the Carter incident. “It was a cheap shot that could have resulted in an injury and should not be tolerated.” (h/t The Athletic).
In the letter, Banks blasted the league for refusing “to hold hostile players accountable and enforce their own rules of sportsmanship.” He suggested Carter and the Sky should be fined and disciplined after knocking Clark down during a play last week.
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“It is not only a disservice to Clark and the Indiana Fever, but it’s also a disservice to the millions of young girls who are watching with dreams of playing in the WNBA one day,” Banks wrote.
While no further punishment is expected for Carter, or Angel Reese for cheering on the hip check her teammate delivered to Clark, their head coach Teresa Weatherspoon did call her actions inappropriate this week.
