An Indiana congressman is raising concerns over the WNBA’s handling of Caitlin Clark and has written a letter to the league’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, demanding clarification.
On Tuesday, Congressman Jim Banks (R, IN-3) wrote a letter to the WNBA, citing the recent altercation between Chennedy Carter and Clark that occurred during the Sky and Fever game last Saturday.
According to Outkick, the letter from the Republican, who is also the GOP nominee in a Senate race in Indiana this November, was first reported by them.
Banks’ letter opened with a commendation for the heightened interest in the WNBA, while also singling out Clark for her role in garnering more attention for women’s basketball. The two-page letter emphasized the significance of such attention and its potential to further promote the league’s growth.
According to Banks, Clark’s exceptional abilities were met with resentment and frequent attacks from other players. He specifically mentions the flagrant foul committed by Carter during the third quarter of the Fever’s victory over Chicago.
According to Banks’ letter, Chennedy Carter intentionally knocked Clark to the ground without the ball, while her teammate Angel Reese appeared to encourage and support the violent behavior.
As a state that prides itself on basketball, Indiana knows a thing or two about aggressive defense. However, the recent incident in question was not a display of playing “tough”. Rather, it was an unwarranted cheap shot that put players at risk of injury. Such behavior should not be condoned in any way.
According to Banks, it appears that Carter and Sky didn’t face severe consequences for the play, other than receiving a foul upgrade and a fine for Reese’s non-compliance with WNBA media policies.
Geno Auriemma, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer and head coach of the UConn Huskies, believes that Caitlin Clark, the rookie guard for the New York Liberty, has been unfairly singled out and criticized at the start of her WNBA career. Auriemma, who coached Clark during her time with USA Basketball, spoke out in defense of the talented player, stating that she has been the subject of unwarranted scrutiny and criticism. He believes that Clark’s abilities as a player speak for themselves and that she deserves to be given the opportunity to develop and improve without being unfairly targeted.
In a letter, the Congressman expressed that not acknowledging Clark and the Indiana Fever would not only be unfair to them, but also to the countless young girls who aspire to play in the WNBA someday.
Engelbert was asked to respond to four questions by June 14 that focused on the WNBA’s efforts to combat excessive physical targeting of specific players.
Banks asked if it was helpful for the WNBA players to continuously downplay the skills of their colleagues for the league’s success.
The treatment of Clark by other players in the league has sparked a heated debate among individuals in the sports and media industry. It seems like everyone has an opinion on the matter.
In Banks’ letter, there was no reference to another serious foul that occurred during a different game last month involving Reese. In that game, Reese was knocked to the ground by her neck as she was attempting to grab a rebound against Alyssa Thomas of the Suns.
Thomas received a flagrant 2 and was subsequently ejected from the game.
Cameron Brink, the second overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft and a rising star for the Sparks, has spoken out against the notion that the league’s emerging talent is being singled out for rough treatment.
According to Brink, the narrative of veterans being against rookies is overused and tiresome. He expressed his opinion to Uproxx, stating that the idea of old-school versus new-school is played out.