When you’re up against the best, you want to compete even harder. However, ever so often, the lines between competitive aggression get blurred, and it turns into something more than just competitive fire. If you belong to the Caitlin Clark or the Indiana Fever’s camp, you’d certainly believe the latter to be the case when it comes to Caitlin Clark and the physicality she has to face. And with enough evidence to back up your claim as well. 

In her rookie year, she was the recipient of 17% of the league’s total flagrant fouls. Even Caitlin Clark has admitted that she is treated with excessive physicality, but she has always admitted it to be a part of the game. However, basketball fans and most analysts of the game have demanded protection for the league’s golden goose. But some popular voices in sports commentating do not share the same opinion. Former Fox Sports host and commentator, Joy Taylor, has recently given a new perspective to all the fans demanding protection for Caitlin Clark. 

During her appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday Podcast, Joy said that the conversation about Caitlin Clark needing protection is so dismissive of other WNBA players. She said, “Like the conversation around Caitlin Clark that she needs to be protected or something is like so dismissive of what she is as an athlete. Why would they do that? What do you mean? You think that the other women who have competed and worked their entire lives to get to this point, you’re just gonna let her go to the basket? This is not how it works. But it’s an adjustment that we’re making as a society to be able to consume women’s sports.”

While it is true that no player wants to back down when they are up against one of the, if not the, popular players in the league, the circumstances with Caitlin Clark have seemed to go out of control. Joy is correct in her own right that other players are not and should not take it easy on Caitlin Clark. But numerous times, it has seemed like something way more than just hard play is going on when it comes to CC. This season only, against the Connecticut Sun, Jacy Sheldon poked Caitlin in the eye. Granted, it might have been an accident, but Marina Mabrey’s shove to her certainly wasn’t. 

Similarly, in her rookie year, she was subjected to many hits on her head while driving to the basket. Again, we can consider that they were just hard basketball play. But Chennedy Carter’s off-ball shove during the game against the Chicago Sky was no basketball play. As a fan of the game, you never want the competitiveness to go away. Even Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest advocates for competitiveness on the floor, as evidenced by her defense of Angel Reese after the infamous ‘you can’t see me’ gesture. Recently, Joy Taylor had another interesting take on Caitlin Clark and why she is so popular. 

Appearing on The Joe Budden Podcast, Joy Taylor said, “The Clark vs. Reese rivalry has now spun into this thing where, like, Caitlin is better than Angel, and blah blah blah. I just said, we would not be talking about Caitlin Clark the way that we do, if it wasn’t for that moment with Angel Reese.” Sure, there is no denying the fact that this moment has worked wonders for both Clark and Reese. But Caitlin Clark was shattering records way before the moment ever happened. 

Coming into the 2023 NCAA Championship game, the Caitlin Clark Effect was already in swing. According to a report, the Final Four, Elite Eight, and Sweet 16 rounds of this year’s March Madness had already set viewership records. While the viral moment between the two athletes did help to further enhance the eyes on the game, Caitlin Clark and her popularity among the masses were already high before that.

How Have Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Fared Against Each Other in the WNBA?

Ever since the 2024 WNBA draft, fans have been waiting to watch Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese compete against each other at the professional level. With a rivalry that is set to dominate the next decade or so, there was much hype for their matchups on the WNBA stage. So, how have they stacked up against each other in the league? Well, much to Caitlin Clark fans’ delight, the numbers point to a one-sided rivalry. 

In their five meetings till now, Caitlin Clark has the upper hand on almost all statistical metrics. In terms of points, Clark is averaging 20.4 points per game as compared to Angel’s 13.2 points. Both players have dominated their own specialities, with Clark having a big edge in assists (10 per game compared to 2) and Reese with her rebounds (14 per game compared to 7.2). When it comes to shooting, Caitlin Clark holds the edge and goes at a 51-45-92 clip, whereas Angel Reese performs on a 40-33-70 clip. 

However, in one of the biggest surprises, Caitlin Clark is also leading when it comes to blocks. Till now, Caitlin Clark is averaging 1.2 blocks per game compared to Angel Reese’s 0.2. Keeping their individual stats aside, Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever is also 4-1 up against the Reese’s Chicago Sky. 

While till now it does feel like a one-sided rivalry, we should not forget that both players are still in their sophomore years. With the rivalry set to span many more years, there is no telling who will eventually hold the bragging rights when it’s all said and done.