“You know what? Caitlin was so laid-back last year,” local Indiana referee Rob Wann said in an interview with Barstool Sports recently, which came as a surprise to fans. They know her to be the player who isn’t afraid of confrontation with the referees. Even in the preseason game that she sat out against the Mystics, she was up and cheering, even having some aggressive conversations with the referees.

She was saved by her teammate Aliyah Boston in the game, as with just over four minutes to play in the first half, the Fever forced a turnover after running some full-court pressure on Washington. Clark was notably excited about the forced error, standing up on the court, clapping and cheering. Boston had to pull Clark back a bit, as the former Iowa Hawkeyes star may have been too far on the court.  A technical foul could be handed out to bench players for entering the court “without proper permission” while the game is in play.

Well, her six technical fouls last year should tell you the story. If that was the “laid-back” Caitlin, imagine what an aggressive Caitlin would be. So it seems her streak of technical fouls has started. She got her first technical foul against the Atlanta Dream for talking to the ref after a turnover led to an open Bri Jones layup. Apparently, she was looking for a foul on her possession. The Clark fandom was quick to shame the referees for giving the “dumbest techs” to Caitlin.

Referee technical on Clark draws fire from Fever fans

“Caitlin clark already has a technical foul. 😭🤣” Wrote one user. Well, even after Clark’s repeated statements to keep restraint on her technicals, it was already broken in the second preseason game itself, which led to laughs from the fans. Many fans were under the impression that technicals weren’t even possible during preseason games. The confusion only added to the buzz around the moment. Interestingly, Caitlin Clark has committed to her coach to limit her technical fouls.“This year… I already told Steph (Fever head coach Stephanie White) two, max,” Clark had said. Since this foul isn’t counting, she is probably okay with it. But the fans are already jumping on the referee who gave the foul. 

“Caitlin Clark got a tech already? #WNBA,” said another fan, sounding surprised that Clark got a foul so early into the season. For context, the highest number of technical fouls any player accumulated last season was 7, which already shows the toll emotions can take over a full season. If Caitlin Clark continues down this path, she could potentially break that record, especially with the extended season in 2025. Her history with referees, which includes multiple instances of her fiery competitiveness, makes her a focal point for officials, potentially leading to more fouls against her.

“Well, Caitlin Clark just got a tech. Didn’t think that would happen in pre-season,” said another user. Technical fouls in preseason games are certainly rare, as in 2024, there were no technical fouls given during the preseason. Since these games are preparatory games and teams don’t want unnecessary trouble with the referees setting up a bad reputation for the season, there haven’t been any technicals given. It seems the referees have become stricter this time.

“That’s is 2 wnba preseason games we watched Caitlin Clark play in and she has yet to go to the FREE THROW line even once. What kind of reffing is this? A ball-dominant pg and not one foul shot ?” Wrote another user. After missing out on the first preseason game, Clark was back against Brazil and Dream. Playing at point guard and having the ball for the majority of the time she is on the court, you expect some fouls against her, but then it was just her second game of the season.

Clark finished the game against the Dream with 13 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds as the Fever finished with a 3-0 preseason record with an 81-76 win. Fever will now start their season against the Chicago Sky on May 18.