On Wednesday, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported the WNBA won’t suspend any players after a pair of skirmishes broke out in Tuesday’s Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun game, including one with Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
However, it’s easy to argue the league should’ve issued harsher penalties to clarify that messing with its marquee star won’t be tolerated.
Midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye while defending her near the top of the free-throw line. Clark then pushed Sheldon before Sun guard Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground.
Mabrey’s technical foul for nudging Clark was upgraded to a flagrant 2, which carries a standard fine. Sheldon was later ejected for a tussle with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, likely explaining why she didn’t receive another punishment.
This incident isn’t the first time Clark has been pushed during a game. Last season, former Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter shoved the Fever star in a 71-70 Indiana victory. The league upgraded Carter’s foul to a flagrant 1, which comes with an automatic fine.
The league’s refusal to hand out harsher punishments may convince players it’s acceptable to push or poke Clark, possibly putting her at risk for injury.
Clark already missed five games with a left calf injury this season. During her absence, TV ratings tanked. Per Front Office Sports’ Colin Salao, four of the Fever’s games without Clark averaged 864,500 viewers. When she returned against the New York Liberty on June 14, the matchup averaged 2.2 million viewers, via Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel.
In May 2025, Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus, told NBC News’ Andrew Greif Clark could help the WNBA generate $1B in revenue this season.
Clark is the league’s biggest box-office draw, and thus, it should consider doing more to protect her.
