Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA brought millions of viewers to the league. A record 2.45 million watched the 2024 WNBA draft, and since then the records have kept coming. The August 23 game between Clark’s Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky became the most-watched game since the WNBA’s opening night in 1997, exceeding 3.3 million viewers. However, according to veteran journalist Cari Champion, that growing influence has also created a difficult and unresolved situation for the league.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of the Bakari Sellers Show, Champion drew attention to what she believes is a genuinely problematic segment, and one the league has been unwilling to confront because of how commercially dependent it has become on Clark’s popularity.
“What Caitlin Clark has done looks very similar to Steph Curry. She’s made the game impactful and changed it for people who’ve never really watched it. So she brings in this new fanbase, and what this fanbase does is bring in more business. And the WNBA has needed this business.”
“So they look the other way when this fanbase is wholly inappropriate to other players who are just doing their job. They look the other way when the fanbase reacts to critique of Caitlin Clark.”
“And so if the W really wants to be taken seriously, they cannot be cuddled. I’m talking about all players. And I think that they’re mishandling Caitlin in a time that is so polarising. You’re coddling her, and you’re ignoring this extremely nasty fanbase.”
Champion was, however, careful to acknowledge that not every Clark fan fits that description. But in her view, the segment that does behave in that manner is significant enough and visible enough that the WNBA leadership has an obligation to act, rather than quietly absorbing it because the commercial upside of Clark’s popularity is simply too valuable to jeopardise.
And of course, Caitlin Clark’s fanbase is undeniably enormous and vocal on social media. The latest examples of just how vocal Clark’s fans can get came at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
While the Indiana Fever star was among the seven World Cup debutants, including Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and more, many expected her to be among the starting lineup for Team USA. However, from the very first group stage game, coach Kara Lawson stuck to playing her veteran starter, which included Chelsea Gray starting instead of Clark.
While Lawson stuck to her veteran lineup no matter how narrow the victory margin got against Italy in the quarterfinals and Spain in the semifinals, Clark fans aired their frustration at not seeing CC in the starting lineup.
While those supporters have come to her defence throughout the WNBA season whenever she faces any form of criticism or any on-court confrontation involving other players, sometimes things have gotten out of hand.
For example, the game against the June 24, 2026, Phoenix Mercury in which Alyssa Thomas made contact with her fist to Clark’s throat, with no foul initially called, prompted a significant wave of fan outrage on social media.
Supporters flooded timelines accusing the league’s veteran players of targeting Clark out of jealousy and arguing that the league was failing to protect its biggest star. The problem grew when the online backlash turned into something more harmful.
Thomas publicly stated that she received extreme online vitriol, including threats on her life from internet users who were angry because of the foul. That incident also kicked off a wave of discussion and controversy surrounding player safety, with Clark at the center. In fact, even 11 members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) officially sent a letter to the WNBA commissioner urging her to pay more attention to protecting players.
While that discussion never progressed beyond the letter, and with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert retiring at the end of the year, the questions that Champion raised remain the same. Will the discussion surrounding Clark get reignited during the remainder of the regular season and in the postseason? And even if it doesn’t, will the league have concrete answers for player safety before the next season starts?