Cheap shots, rivalries, and revenge were on the menu during Tuesday’s clash between Indiana and Connecticut. The controversial play in which Marina Mabrey, Jacy Sheldon, and Caitlin Clark all earned fouls was only the beginning, because it seems like Caitlin Clark might have finally found her protector! Sophie Cunningham saw the Sun’s treatment of her first-string point guard and said nothing doing, wrapping up Sheldon late in the game for a flagrant foul. It was less of a basketball play and more of a statement that the six-foot-one guard wanted to make–you don’t mess with her teammates without consequence!

And of course, it ended up being quite a polarizing issue. The WNBA community got divided into two. There was a petition made against her, which was titled, ‘Remove Sophie Cunningham from WNBA for misconduct,’ and it received 185 signatures out of the requested 200. On the flip side, she earned the loyalty and respect of Indiana fans for how she protected CC. Her jersey sales skyrocketed, and some are predicting this to be a stepping stone to stardom for her.

Well, Pat McAfee joined in on the Indiana versus Connecticut controversy, which has been highly discussed on social media in the past few days. Most conversations have revolved around the high levels of physicality Sun’s players showed like poking Clark in the eye and shoving her down to the floor. What does McAfee think about this? Well, on the Pat McAfee show, he stated:

“I don’t like the blind side cheap shot, I don’t like the poke in the eye. But I don’t mind a little bit of competitive ‘how you doin’, keep it moving’. Especially at the WNBA, when that much is at stake! You know, right now, they are at a pivotal time. There’s a CBA coming up, I think […] so like there’s an opportunity now. What is a pivotal time? It’s like, having good basketball? Good. Having cheap shots? Not good, probably, but having good competitive fire? I think great!” McAfee’s point about the CBA ties to the league’s looming negotiations, set to expire after 2025, which will shape player salaries and working conditions, making moments like Clark’s trash talk and Cunningham’s loyalty key to boosting the WNBA’s marketability.

Despite the foul trouble and confrontations, good basketball was in abundance on Tuesday! We all saw how Caitlin Clark pulled up from the logo late in the game, how she looked at the opposing bench and said, “You can’t guard me!” Moments like these are essential for the development of the sport and for any franchise going forward.

It’s time for the Indiana Fever to rally together. They’ve been challenged consistently, people have thrown hands, and their path is filled with obstacles. But what did the Indiana Fever HC Stephanie White have to say about the altercation? 

“Obvious stuff was brewing”: Stephanie White calls out officiating after Fever v Sun’s controversial moment!

What happened in Gainbridge Fieldhouse was a wake-up call for the WNBA community and both sides involved. Of course, there are way too many perspectives to view the situation from, but for Stephanie White, it is simply a case of poor officiating and passionate players. The Indiana Fever head coach has complained about the quality of refereeing in the past as well, and it was no different this time.

“I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing,” she said in the post-game media availability, sitting alongside Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.”This is what happens. You’ve got competitive women who are the best in the world at what they do, right? And when you allow them to play physical, and you allow these things to happen, they’re gonna compete! And they’re gonna have their teammate’s back.” Her call-out of the refs was even more direct. “Bad officiating is bad officiating,” White said, labelling the issue to be ‘league-wide’. And she is not alone in her frustration—2025 has seen growing complaints about inconsistent refereeing as the WNBA’s physicality ramps up alongside its popularity.   

And frankly, this was quite an apt stance for the Fever head coach to take! The blame didn’t belong to the players: heated confrontations are quite common in sports, after all. However, if the officiating standards don’t go up, the WNBA is at risk of falling behind in a crucial period. The sudden boom of the league comes with benefits and drawbacks alike, and shoddy refereeing might lead to us seeing the latter. What do you think?