While the Indiana Fever has been making a nationwide noise for the Commissioner’s Cup victory, all eyes were on their superstar Caitlin Clark. Though the guard was unable to play in the Cup finals due to a left groin injury, she made headlines from the bench. From hugging her teammates and cheering at the victory, Clark proved that she is indeed a No. 1 Fever supporter, happy in her locker room’s success. But even that was not enough.

And while the reigning ROTY immediately jumped up to photobomb her teammates, Syd Colson and Aliyah Boston’s TikTok videos, IG live, or interrupt Boston’s post-game interview, one thing was clear: Clark was unable to contain her excitement. She even went online shortly after the win and posted, “My girls did their thing !!!!! So proud!! Lfggggg.”

She even went on to say, “Everybody in the league is sick,” in an Instagram live. The statement highlighted how the opponents did not: a) imagine the Indiana Fever winning, and b) like the fact that the Fever won.  But despite this, certain fans and analysts were quick to scrutinize her behavior.

Analyzing these online comments against her excited behavior, national analyst Skip Bayless shared his concerns regarding the attitude toward Clark. He shared a short clip on X (former Twitter). Taken from the Skip Bayless show, the clip features the analyst as he praises Clark for her exceptional contributions to the league, both on and off the court.

Known for his provocative and polarizing opinions, Skip Bayless did not shy away from exposing the haters. “The Fever won the Cup but Caitlin could not win during that game,” Bayless said. “Think about this: If she just sat quietly/expressionless on the bench, just passively, just closely observing, haters would’ve said “Oh! she wasn’t rooting for her teammates, she resents her teammates for playing so well without her. She’s pouting because she couldn’t play in the Championship game”

In a 50-second admission, Bayless called out haters for passing comments on Clark’s reaction upon Indiana Fever winning the Commissioner’s Cup. He further pointed out the two-faced attitude that certain people and analysts have towards the athlete. Known for her sharp court vision, ability to make the right reads, and shooting prowess, Clark’s absence from the hardwood has led to a lot of chatter surrounding the fate of the Indiana Fever.

Though the team managed to shut down all the voices with an impressive victory, the Fever player became the next center of unwanted attention. “And yet, if she turned into a head cheerleader, then the haters could say, “She was grandstanding/camera hogging, playing to the camera she knew would be on her every second of the Championship game, she couldn’t blame it,” Bayless added. “Well, now this is Caitlin Clark’s life. It’s a great life. But that spotlight will get brighter and brighter and harder and harder.”

As the face of the W, Clark’s always surrounded by dozens of cameras, spotlighting even the smallest of moves. While Clark’s reaction to the Fever’s win was genuine, haters spun this into a conspiracy that Clark had employed to hog the limelight and media attention. Although it wasn’t a well-planned strategy, Clark did receive most of the media attention.

While she handled the spotlight with grace, even from the courtside, there will always be people who will scrutinize he for it. But it seems like the Indiana Fever cannot do without their best player in all the games. Having been sidelined for the second time, the locker room fell into a slump again, this time after a close 89-87 loss against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Indiana Fever felt the absence of Caitlin Clark

“I don’t know where we’re going to be because Caitlin hasn’t been on the floor. That’s obviously a huge piece for us and what we do,” head coach of Indiana Fever Stephanie White had said. The Indiana Fever completed the 10th game of the season without star player, Caitlin Clark. The guard has been sidelined for the second time, owing to a left groin injury. While the team displayed an inconsistent gameplay during Clark’s earliest regular game absence, things were different this time.

The Fever not only displayed more hunger on the hardwood, but their combined efforts and determination were enough to solidify the team as the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup champions. Needless to say, the Indiana Fever battled it out against two top-ranked teams, in Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces. And emerged victorious. There was a visual shift in their identity. As a team that heavily relied on Clark to rally the offense, the locker room adapted to the new conditions without their superstar’s active presence.

Ahead of the tipoff against the Los Angeles Sparks, head coach Stephanie White had addressed the team’s progress. “I think we’ve found a little bit more of an identity defensively with this group,” White said. “We’re continuing, offensively, to move the ball a little bit better, to find our spots individually. And I think that that’s helped us.” Unfortunately, the three-game winning streak came to a halt as the team struggled to find momentum in the latest game.

This loss comes as a reality check to the roster that has been missing the central piece. But as Clark continues to watch from the courtside, can the Indiana Fever turn this loss into an opportunity to balance the statistics and move towards clinching another victory? As the third-ranked team prepares to face the newest team in the Golden State Valkyries, things can go either way for Stephanie White’s locker room.