Caitlin Clark’s season has been dominated by the headlines surrounding the physical play she’s faced.
Now, a group of United States lawmakers is trying to make its voices heard with the WNBA.
Led by Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. August Pfluger (Texas), a cohort of congressional representatives wrote a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert over what they have called “repeated acts of unnecessary physical hostility and violence” toward the Fever star.
The 11 Republican lawmakers said Clark has faced aggression on the court and outside the court on social media, and it’s time for the league to do a better job officiating things in real time.
“Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games,” the letter read. “These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable. Recently, a player even appeared to endorse violence against Clark in a social media post, further fueling concerns about the culture surrounding these incidents.
“In addition, concerning reports suggest that many of these attacks against Caitlin Clark may be racially motivated.”
Things came to a head on June 24 — and the ensuing days — when Clark and the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas went for a loose ball, and as Clark went to the floor, she was hit in the throat.
Thomas was not called for a foul on the play. However, a day later, she was retroactively handed a flagrant 2 foul and a one-game suspension.
Clark, in the days after debate shows, pundits and columnists weighed in on the treatment, spoke up, and said that it should have been called a flagrant and that the league might be wise to invest in better technology to get calls right during games.
“I did think it was a flagrant foul and our refereeing just needs to be better,” Clark said Friday. “And, you know, it’s tough. Obviously, the refs are in a really difficult spot. … I think for us, as the league, we’ve just got to do better protecting our players, in that regard. I don’t really think that it was up for debate. Obviously, it wasn’t called in real-time. You go back and watch the clip, I think it’s pretty straightforward, and it’s kind of been a discussion for like three years now, and I think we really need to do a better job protecting the people in this league.”
Thomas revealed in the wake of the incident, she had faced death threats and racial slurs.
“Now we’re being painted as thugs,” Thomas said. “There’s death threats out on us. It’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m just really sick and tired of it.”
Clark condemned the “harassment” directed toward Thomas and other players in the W.
The lawmakers said it’s incumbent upon Engelbert to take “meaningful action” in the case of Clark, whom they call “one of the most influential figures in the history of women’s basketball. They also said they would support a probe — if conditions were creating a “hostile work environment.”
“As commissioner, you have an obligation to ensure that every player competes in a safe and professional environment, both on and off the court, free from violence, discrimination, or retaliation. If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,” the letter read. “If true, such conduct could constitute violations of federal civil rights laws.”
The Fever, according to ESPN, put out a statement after the letter went public and said the team and Clark were unaware of its existence and that there was no interaction between the Fever and the lawmakers.
“Our players and our fans know where we stand on those issues,” the Fever said, “and we will continue to stick up for our team and a standard of excellence across the league.”
