“Y’all cannot come out there with those shirts of ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ and then do that in the All-Star Game!” Amidst all the CBA negotiations and holdups, this All-Star Game was not a good look for the WNBA—at least according to former MVP Candace Parker! After Caitlin Clark got ruled out, the weekend was a bit of a scramble, and the game was a little too lax, according to the WNBA legend.

However, Clark’s teammate Aliyah Boston didn’t take these comments lying down. She clapped back at Parker and cited a congested schedule and injury risks as the reasons behind their All-Star performances. The Indiana Fever forward made it clear that the stars had to get back to business as usual in a couple of days and that it was better for them to just enjoy and have fun on Saturday night.

And according to WNBA insiders Erica Ayala and Alicia Jay on the We Need To Talk podcast, Boston was completely right! “Defense is optional in most All-Star Games across professional sports, and I think [Aliyah Boston’s] point was right on track,” Ayala said, defending the All-Stars. The NY Athletic journalist agreed with Aliyah Boston’s reasoning and backed it up even further.

Ayala doubled down on Boston’s injury concerns. “And it goes to what we were talking about right earlier on the show, that the schedule is condensed, more games are added. We’re seeing injuries pile up to the note that there were certain players who were voted All-Stars that could not participate, including Boston’s teammate Caitlin Clark.” The journalist said it hasn’t just been Caitlin Clark—but her absence has certainly been felt.

Without the six-foot-tall point guard from Indiana, viewership dropped to an unexpected low this year. The midseason exhibition drew 2.9 million viewers for ABC on Saturday night. And despite the total audience registering a 36% dip as compared to last year, the WNBA All-Star event was the second-most-watched All-Star Game in WNBA history.

Last year’s event, which was a contest between Team USA and the league’s best non-Olympians, managed to attract 3.442 million viewers. Moving on, Clark was supposed to nudge the WNBA towards more revenue and profit, but her injuries have put a stopper on the process. And it seems like getting injured is contagious, as almost every star is having a go this season!

A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and now Napheesa Collier, almost every major player has gone through the wringer this season. The reason CC’s injuries have been more obvious is because of her impact on the league and the fact that she has sustained so many! But her injuries aren’t exactly normal either, as Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham describes them in a weird fashion.

Indiana Fever teammate gives a new perspective on Caitlin Clark’s injuries

It seems like Stephanie White has just been reacting to every setback, every mistake, and every challenge this season. This year was supposed to be a breakthrough year for the organization, but they’ve had a bad hand dealt to them. Injuries, drama, and more injuries have plagued the Fever organization and its star player, Caitlin Clark.

First, it was a quad pull, and now two groin strains back-to-back? Luck hasn’t been in CC’s favor so far. Although we’ve seen videos of her jumping in joy and kicking soccer balls around, there’s a definite issue with her legs. But according to teammate Sophie Cunningham, the injury isn’t as straightforward as one would think.

On her podcast Show Me Something, Cunningham revealed that they still don’t have any idea about when CC would return to the court. “It’s such, like, a weird injury,” she said. “She’s not in pain all the time. But when you do hurt it you’re out for another…So I think they’re trying to be like extra cautious so she doesn’t kind of have those little setbacks.”

And honestly? That’s fair. We’ve seen the results of Indiana trying to rush the process, and it hasn’t been great. So, allowing Caitlin Clark the time she needs to fully recover is a smart move by Stephanie White and the medical team. It will be interesting to see whether the Fever can nudge their way through to the playoffs even in CC’s absence. One thing is certain—difficult challenges lie ahead of them!