# What's up with Caitlin Clark? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** basketball-nba\ **Created:** [June 21, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942 "2025-06-21T18:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/1 "2025-06-21T18:13:13Z")
My Facebook feed has started showing me lots of clips of Caitlin Clark for some reason known only to The Algorithm … I don’t follow the WNBA. But the clips are all of Clark getting hammered with flagrant fouls, or getting whistled for ticky-tack offenses. Does the WNBA (refs included) hate their biggest star? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/2 "2025-06-21T18:44:52Z")
Here’s an article from a couple of days ago about dirty fouls being done on Clark and not getting caught by officials at the time. > **[Fans Have Spotted Another 'Dirty' Foul On Caitlin Clark](https://sports.yahoo.com/article/fans-spotted-another-dirty-foul-204639854.html)** > > It's been several days since the controversial fouling incident at the tail end of the WNBA game between Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun. As more and more details have been parsed, some fans have noted another dirty foul that... ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/3 "2025-06-21T19:54:45Z")
No idea but I know during the Olympics the right wing media was pushing the theory that she was left off due to anti-white racism. May or may not be related. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/4 "2025-06-21T20:36:46Z")
She’s, for some reason I don’t know, a lightning rod for right wingers. At work someone mentioned something similar to the OP, and mr. right wing in the office mentioned that his feed shows pictures of her adam’s apple. I don’t want to know how he ended up with such an algorithm. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/5 "2025-06-21T20:39:23Z")
My kid (college age) has become a huge WNBA fan in the last year, largely because of the splash that Caitlin Clark made. She says it’s unfortunate that Clark has effectively become a hero to the racist and homophobic crowd, because she herself isn’t really doing anything to attract that support. And yes I see those videos all the time. I’ve never followed the wnba online ever. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/6 "2025-06-21T22:31:29Z")
Hmmmm….im also seeing clips of Angel Reese playing poorly. Perhaps to make some sort of racist point. If that’s the case, I want off of this algorithm. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/7 "2025-06-22T01:07:44Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > At work someone mentioned something similar to the OP, and mr. right wing in the office mentioned that his feed shows pictures of her adam’s apple. I don’t want to know how he ended up with such an algorithm. Female athletes clearly must meet certain standards of femininity! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/8 "2025-06-22T02:22:28Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > his feed shows pictures of her adam’s apple > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Clark has effectively become a hero to the racist and homophobic crowd Sometimes you just can’t win! ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/9 "2025-06-22T14:53:27Z")
Three out of the first five posts on my Facebook feed are attacking the WNBA for not protecting or projecting Clark enough. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/10 "2025-06-22T15:19:01Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > im also seeing clips of Angel Reese playing poorly I’ve seen the same. The impression I get (I have a passing awareness of the WNBA; I don’t follow it closely) is that Reese and Clark are rivals. And Reese is apparently a horrible shooter (I looked it up a few weeks ago, due to aforementioned clips, and she was in the 30% range\*). I guess she gets a lot of second chance shots, though, because fans had derisively started calling her boards “me-bounds” (as in, rebounding your own shot). And in a _if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em_ move, Reese has trademarked the phrase. > **[Angel Reese releases 'Mebound' clothing line, acknowledging criticism and...](https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/angel-reese-releases-mebound-clothing-line-acknowledging-criticism-and-raising-money-to-fight-cyberbullying-171923822.html)** > > Angel Reese's new line of merchandise, "Mebounds," was released on Thursday. As to the OP, I believe that Clark is one of the better players in the league (a quick googling tells me she hold the record for assists in a game - 19- and has had several games with more than 20 points and 10 assists). So a lot of teams try to rough her up - I guess it’s getting extreme. It seems the WNBA is like the NBA in the late 80s/early 90s, when players like Bill Lambier and Charles Oakley roamed the paint. \*38.4%, per my current Google search. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/11 "2025-06-22T15:39:55Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > At work someone mentioned something similar to the OP, and mr. right wing in the office mentioned that his feed shows pictures of her adam’s apple. I don’t want to know how he ended up with such an algorithm. There’s some wingnuts on the internet who like to spend time poring over photos of women celebrities pointing out evidence they’re actually transgender. These “[transvestigators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transvestigation)” (YouTube link), believe a number of prominent women were identified male at birth and are now female because of the machinations of the New World Order or the Illuminati or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/12 "2025-06-22T17:02:24Z")
Yeah, [Brittney Griner](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/09/facebook-posts/no-basketball-star-brittney-griner-not-man/) is another favorite of the right. They’re convinced that she’s a biological male, too, and nothing will dissuade them from believing otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/13 "2025-06-30T19:28:05Z")
Well, the Fever went and got themselves an enforcer, Sophie Cunningham, who used to start in Phoenix but whose job is now to come in and fuck you up if you fuck with Clark. Cunningham, who looks oddly similar to Blake Lively and might be almost as mean, and who is a guard without much of a shot, has already gotten into some scraps. The fans in Indiana love her. Her jerseys are flying off the shelves. She’s the most popular player to ever average four points a game. People have a soft spot for charismatic goons. I was absolutely certain this would happen and I’m on record as saying it would. What the hell else was Indiana going to do? If you let the star players get assaulted, the star players’ teams will employ someone to assault you back. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/14 "2025-06-30T20:31:53Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, the Fever went and got themselves an enforcer, Sophie Cunningham, who used to start in Phoenix but whose job is now to come in and fuck you up if you fuck with Clark. I won’t lie, I have no doubt she would destroy me. [![](https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/63P3MO26BZM5DNQJSN33IIZUAM.jpg?auth=e141621306e569c4694b9c4dbe31b3ecc4f65864fcbcb9a416b500589155098f&width=4982&quality=80) ](https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/63P3MO26BZM5DNQJSN33IIZUAM.jpg?auth=e141621306e569c4694b9c4dbe31b3ecc4f65864fcbcb9a416b500589155098f&width=4982&quality=80) I imagine that ball as my head. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/15 "2025-06-30T20:42:02Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I imagine that ball as my head. [![](https://i.imgur.com/M0h5DbL.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/M0h5DbL.png) She’d probably have your head in her other hand so she could keep playing 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/16 "2025-07-01T05:54:40Z")
She’s 6”1’ and a black belt in taekwondo. I would just surrender. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/17 "2025-07-01T12:33:02Z")
Yes, it was completely predictable that either Caitlin Clark herself would start to get violent, or the Fever would hire a goon. For anyone who’s not aware of just how bad the situation got, 17% _of all flagrant fouls in the league_ last year were against Clark, and IMO that number could have been much higher if the refs were calling things correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/18 "2025-07-01T12:56:02Z")
I hadn’t even realized that an “enforcer” was a thing, in basketball. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/19 "2025-07-01T13:02:24Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Does the WNBA (refs included) hate their biggest star? As long as the sports media keeps hyping Clark as the Taylor Swift of women’s basketball, she’ll be targeted by resentful opponents. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942/20 "2025-07-01T13:03:44Z")
Dennis Rodman, for one. Great rebounder, too, of course, but also known for his intimidating presence. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-caitlin-clark/1019942.md?page=2)