Is it bad luck, voodoo, or simple mismanagement for the Indiana Fever? Because six injuries in the span of about 4 weeks isn’t a laughing matter. The game against Minnesota added two more names to the dreaded injury report. Missing Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald was already bad enough for Stephanie White’s team, and fans were hoping for a reprieve. However, that’s not what fate had in store for the Fever.

The Lynx matchup was soured before it even started. Right before the game, Indiana fans got a major shock in the injury report. “[Bibby] felt something during pregame, and so we’re holding her out as a precaution. We don’t know anything, so hopefully we’ll get some more information tomorrow, when she can be seen,” Head coach Stephanie White said. This injury meant that Indiana only had nine players available for the game.

To make matters worse, they also lost Odyssey Sims before the game even ended. The five-foot-nine point guard asked White for a substitution early in the fourth, and was out for the rest of the game. “We don’t know anything yet,” Stephanie White told reporters after the game. “She’s going to get evaluated tomorrow, so we’ll see.” Now, the Indiana Fever head coach is being criticized for how she’s handling her players.

Fans are wondering if poor load management is the problem or if the practice is too intense. While Sims’ injury was not preventable, it was quite odd to see Bibby go down before the game even started. In fact, some members of the WNBA community are even pointing fingers at the Fever Fore Change event that happened a couple of days ago. We know Chloe Bibby and Lexie Hull were a major part of the golf event, and some fans believe that might’ve been the reason behind the forward’s injury. Let’s find out what the community is saying and if there is some truth behind their claims.

Fans call out Indiana Fever HC for recent slew of injuries

Sophie Cunningham, right after her injury, had an important reminder for the Indiana Fever. “We keep signing people, but we’re running out of people to sign. Because our whole roster is injured.” Credit where credit is due – Amber Cox and Kelly Krauskopf have worked their magic so far, finding near-perfect replacements in every situation. However, as the injury report goes from 4 to 6 following the Minnesota game, they might have different and tougher questions to deal with.

Social media, of course, had a collective meltdown after Chloe Bibby and Odyssey Sims were added to the injury report. The outrage was focused more on Bibby’s left knee soreness rather than Sims’ late-game tweak. The thing is, Indiana had nothing on their schedule between Aug 17 and Aug 22. So, fans were quick to point that out, as one summed it up pretty well on X: “They literally haven’t played in 5 days. What in the world.” That is, until someone looked at the Fever Fore Change event and started to connect the dots.

“I blame that golf event,” a disgruntled fan said on X. While it is unlikely that the time at the golf range actually led to this injury, some fans stuck to the idea quite adamantly. “So playing that golf with Lexi caused an injury,” another fan tweeted. However, there are deeper problems here that need to be addressed.

“With this many injuries on one team-far more than anyone else in the league-isn’t it irresponsible of the media to dismiss it as “bad luck” instead of asking hard questions about training, medical, or systemic issues?” A concerned supporter tweeted, placing the onus on Stephanie White and the rest of the support team. It was quite a common sentiment, as another Fever fan backed them up. “This can’t be just bad luck. There’s something very wrong with the training in the Fever organization.”

This isn’t the first time Indiana’s methods have been called into question. Remember, Caitlin Clark’s injuries didn’t start out this bad. However, Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever management didn’t manage their star player’s return to sport properly. CC got back in the game, seeing too much practice, and has now missed twenty-two games this season. Also, these are not assumptions we are making.

As ESPN’s Holly Rowe said on air, “Stephanie White did tell us that they will be even more cautious in their approach to her return to play this time”. She didn’t stop there. Rowe added that Clark “didn’t receive adequate practice or ramp time” when returning from her previous left groin injury.

Hence, people are starting to question whether Stephanie White and the Fever staff are doing their team justice. “At some point we have to start questioning how the coaching staff runs practice, how the medical staff handles rehab and recovery, and why the front office won’t cut Sydney and Aari to sign more players to alleviate the burden on their stars. Just seems like malpractice,” a fan rightfully pointed out.

As the playoffs creep closer and closer, the Indiana Fever need some semblance of luck on their side. They’re running out of effective players to sign, and the injuries keep on piling up. Hopefully, half of the injury report will clear out soon. If Caitlin Clark comes back alongside Bibby and Sims, Stephanie White’s team might be able to brave the oncoming storm.