Christine Brennan was recently so displeased with an article about her that she rang up the editors in question! It will come as no surprise that Brennan, who has written a book on Caitlin Clark, is captivated by the impact the Indiana Fever superstar has had on the WNBA. So much so that a sportswriter from sports publication Defector was prompted to pen an article about what he thought was Brennan’s preoccupation with Clark and only Clark. Brennan, a columnist for USA Today, has clearly not taken the claim well. 

The editorial controversy began when Defector writer Giri Nathan penned and published an article titled Christine Brennan Has Fully Lost It Over Caitlin Clark on October 7, 2026, according to AzatTV on X. Nathan had apparently emailed Brennan prior to publication to gather her views on the WNBA and how Caitlin Clark was becoming the face of the league, but Brennan was unable to respond due to what the website claims was an “email routing issue.” 

The criticism that Nathan levied against Brennan was an overfixation on Caitlin Clark and an overestimation of her role in WNBA coverage. 

“Clark is certainly a popular and exciting basketball player to watch, but adherence to a religiously Clarkcentric worldview can warp one’s commentary over time,” wrote Nathan. “ Eventually you come off like someone who doesn’t know or care about anything else happening in the WNBA”

Brennan was not pleased with Nathan’s take, as she contacted the editors at Defector to contradict the claims. What followed was a series of phone calls between Brennan and Defector editor Samer Kalaf and editor-in-chief Tom Ley. While citing her extensive journalism career and suggesting less incendiary headlines, Brennan requested that a note be added to the article, stating that the piece did not attempt to ridicule her. 

According to the report by AzatTV, Brennan’s request was denied. The headline of the article remains as it was, and the requested note was not added. The publication has, however, published a follow-up article on the matter, almost doubling down on their initial stance. The article is titled “Christine Brennan Has Not Fully Lost It, According To Christine Brennan In Two Baffling Phone Calls.” But this time, the article has been penned by Kalaf and Ley, the two editors Brennan spoke to. 

“For the record, I know who Christine Brennan is, I stand by the headline, and I never expected her to like an article critical of her,” the follow-up piece read. “I wanted to give her a chance to tell me how she felt, but the long-time columnist thought that this particular opinion about her work demanded a correction, specifically the headline.” 

Brennan has been in ardent support of Clark since her draft in 2024. She has posted on X about WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert leaving office, writing that she hopes the incoming commissioner will make right the “ridiculous minimization of Clark’s impact” by Engelbert. Nathan cites other examples of Brennan advocating for Clark, noting her recent coverage of the Atlanta Dream’s ticket sales during their home game against the New York Liberty, and her direct comparison to games featuring Clark.

Nathan’s take becomes more pertinent due to the timing of the publication. His article emerged after the Fever were knocked out of playoff contention by the Las Vegas Aces in the very first round of the 2026 postseason. In the three-game series, which the Aces won 2-1, Clark scored an average of 20 points, 9.7 assists, and four rebounds, but even this could not hold off the defending champions led by A’ja Wilson.

The Fever are somehow still making headlines despite not even being in playoff contention. Indiana entered the 2026 playoffs seeded sixth, with a record of 28-16. Despite having a pretty good season, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Clark – the core trio of the Fever – were unable to secure the vision of clinching the Fever’s first championship since 2012. The finals will now feature the Golden State Valkyries vs. the Atlanta Dream, a team led by Clark’s rival, Angel Reese.