It’s not a good time to be an Alyssa Thomas fan now. The Phoenix Mercury star served her one-game suspension yesterday vs the Toronto Tempo, after sparking a massive controversy for landing her fist on Caitlin Clark’s neck. Had it been anyone else apart from the Indiana Fever star, the reactions and conversations around this issue might not have been as pronounced.

According to former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker and now-media personality Emmanuel Acho, if Clark were out of the equation, the WNBA would be in a better position.

“Unless we can take off our gloves for Caitlin Clark and stop trying to act like she’s a messiah, the WNBA could and would be better off without Caitlin Clark, at least without this version of everybody coddling and caressing and catering to Caitlin Clark,” Emmanuel Acho said on Speakeasy.

The numbers back up half his point. The brand new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed between the league and WNBPA was largely made possible due to Caitlin Clark’s presence. USA Network, which has no way of competing with broadcasting giants like CBS or FOX, saw a viewership of a whopping 1 million for the Fever vs Toronto Tempo game on June 16.

Clark is the reason why the WNBA is being taken seriously as a league. Undoubtedly, the league was in desperate need of a true star. But with a player as popular as Clark, people begin to draw attention to things that become detrimental to the bigger picture.

Robert Griffin III argued against the discussions on racism that had been brought up in the wake of the Clark-Thomas controversy. It overshadowed wins like Marina Mabrey tying the WNBA’s single-game scoring record with 53 points, Olivia Miles breaking Clark and Paige Bueckers’ record for fastest to 300 points and 100 assists, and Angel Reese becoming the quickest player ever to 1,000 rebounds.

Clark was supposed to have a comeback season this year, after getting to play only 13 games last year due to soft tissue injuries. But to some extent, the star has been a letdown. Per The Athletic’s Candace Buckner, 2026 has turned out to be “a sizzle reel of flagrant fouls,” broken up by injuries, and one PR headache after another for Clark.

For Alyssa Thomas, however, few voices are giving her the benefit of the doubt. Social media has already made her the villain in the story. ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike said that the WNBA “found itself in a position where it had to be reactive,” following which she was suspended from one game. She also added that “optics” had to play a big part in the decision, and that “narratives” were being built based on a few frames that documented the moment.

The WNBA would still be at a disservice if Caitlin Clark is no longer in the league; there’s no doubt about that. But with time, more and more people are now coming to believe that it is perhaps the best for the sport.