The Indiana Fever dropped yet another game, as Caitlin Clark’s team bowed out to the Connecticut Suns on an 89-72 scoreline. Clark’s recent performances added to the already existing drama surrounding the Fever Rookie, and veteran analyst Monica McNutt had something to say about the entire fiasco.
Advertisement
Appearing on The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart, McNutt went into Clark’s unprecedented impact on the league, and how, unfortunately, the rhetoric of Caitlin vs. WNBA has emerged.
Talking on the issue, the WNBA announcer clarified that the league has always been physical, and ensured her host that Clark has not been receiving any ‘special treatment’. But McNutt did concede that Clark was “good for the league”. Praising her further, she said,
“The eyeballs and the visibility and the growth is better for all involved. I mean, frankly, Jon, like, Caitlin Clark got me here, you know what I mean?”
The veteran analyst did lament the fact that, before the current rookie class came in, the WNBA was a new league with a relatively smaller fan base. The exclusivity brought with it a sense of community. The ESPN analyst thinks that, for the most part, that small nit community has now been displaced, but she confesses that it is a fair sacrifice for the WNBA’s growth.
During the show, in a surprising turn of events, Stewart came out as not being a regular watcher of the women’s league. In his limited exposure to the WNBA, he found the playstyle quite ‘physical’, something that was concerning him.
Is the WNBA extra physical?
Understanding her host’s concerns, McNutt reminded everyone that the league has been just as, if not more, physical over the last 28 years. The veteran journalist further pointed out that WNBA players don’t enjoy off-season breaks like NBA players do, often playing in much tougher leagues. Further explaining her point, McNutt said,
“If you have only watched the college game…and not followed the WNBA, you dont know..most of them in their offseason, they’re not kicking it, they’re in Europe playing in leagues that are arguably even more physical.”
The physicality of the WNBA seems to be a feature that pre-dates the arrival of Clark, and even a brief look through Chennedy Carter’s history would reveal that her foul on Clark wasn’t her first outing. McNutt furthered the debate also addressing concerns surrounding the ‘racial’ angle of the entire Clark situation.
Countering such rhetorics, McNutt reminded fans of the multi-racial, multicultural history of the league. She also pointed to the league’s open support of queer and other gender identities, claiming that accusations of racism and other forms of discrimination against Clark are founded on faulty belief.
