Do WNBA players really not like Caitlin Clark? That is a narrative that has carried on in the league since Clark’s entrance in 2024. Clark’s biographer, Christine Brennan, further reinforced that narrative in an opinion piece she released on June 25, as published on USA Today. And this kind of narrative really makes no sense, at least to WNBA analyst Sabreena Merchant.

Merchant, speaking on Tuesday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast, which she co-hosted with Annie Costabile and Zena Keita, gave quite a blunt assessment of that WNBA players-Caitlin Clark hate narrative. For her, that narrative is quite unfounded. In fact, she said: 

“When you see something written like, Christine Brennan specifically says to show their unabashed jealousy, disdain, and outright hatred, I don’t even know where that’s coming from.”

Merchant specifically referenced an excerpt from the Christine Brennan opinion piece, which she titled ‘Caitlin Clark made the WNBA bigger. It’s still playing small.’

“For three seasons now, in ways big and small, the WNBA and its players have continued to show their unabashed jealousy, disdain and outright hatred for the greatest thing to happen to them,” Brennan wrote in light of the recent Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas controversy.

This was exactly the point that WNBA analyst Zena Keita also pointed out, also speaking on the podcast. For her, people who champion this Caitlin Clark hatred narrative always make the argument that because Clark was responsible for the unprecedented level of visibility and commercial success that the WNBA is now witnessing, fellow players who have, of course, benefited from it should be thankful to her.

According to Merchant, that is simply not how professional player interaction works. Even though Caitlin Clark has clearly brought more visibility, ratings, fans, and commercial success to the WNBA, it is ridiculous to expect other WNBA players to constantly act grateful to her, whether by vocalizing it or in the way that they compete against her.

Also for Merchant, this Caitlin Clark-hate narrative, which Christine Brennan seems to champion boldly, has a way of infiltrating the mindset in how people view the game. People now view every single action against Clark as a premeditated attack fueled by hatred. But for Merchant, these players are just competing.

Analyst says WNBA players are being denied normal rivalry

There is a healthy hatred players can have on the court. It is rivalry. However, when people begin to view every clash, every tackle, and even every on-court altercation through the lens of actual hatred, it begins to feel as though rivalry or competitiveness has no place in sports.

And this was the point WNBA analyst Annie Costabile was trying to make, while also speaking down on the Caitlin Clark hatred narrative.

“It’s literally competition,” she said, speaking on the same No Offseason podcast. “These players all hate each other when they’re on that court. These women aren’t even allowed to healthily hate each other, competitively hate each other.”

Costabile referenced an on-court clash between Olivia Miles and Paige Bueckers in the Wings-Lynx game on Saturday to drive home her point. For her, that kind of clash is born out of normal rivalry, which is a natural feature of every sport. 

But when these sorts of moments involve Caitlin Clark, certain sections of the conversation quickly begin to shift toward the narrative of players needing to be more grateful to her for what she has brought to the league. And from there, it often catapults into a social media attack on said players. Then Caitlin Clark herself eventually becomes a victim of backlash from the other side for failing to call her fans to order.

Such is the complicated cycle. In Coastablie’s view, normal competitiveness in the WNBA is being denied the freedom to simply exist as a rivalry, especially when Clark is involved.