Caitlin Taking It On The Ear In WNBA, Which Must Up Its Game Because People Are Watching

The WNBA is being watched and talked about this season like never before - as if it is a real league. It's right up there with the other secondary, major professional leagues like the NHL, NBA and MLB behind the monster NFL. From 1997 through 2023, the WNBA wasn't one of those. Few watched, and barely anyone talked about it.

On Sunday and Monday, national radio sports shows focused on Caitlin Clark, and the NBA and NHL are in the midst of their playoff finals. 

OPINION: Mean Girls Reboot - Angel Vs. Caitlin

The huge growth in attendance and TV ratings in the WNBA are solely because of the iconic Clark's entry into the league - whether the hatefully jealous Mean Girls Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese like it or not. Clark simply has taken over the fledgling league as the first pick of the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever last April after breaking the NCAA's all-time scoring record - men or women - at Iowa last season previously held by LSU's Pistol Pete Maravich for 54 years.

Indiana Fever rookie point guard Caitlin Clark has drawn sellout crowds and TV ratings history everywhere she has played this season. (Getty Images)

Clark's professional regular season debut on May 14 at the Connecticut Sun drew 2.12 million viewers on ESPN2 - the most for a WNBA game since one on NBC in 2001 that drew 2.4 million and the most for a WNBA game on ESPN since 2004. The game after her opener on ESPN2 between defending champion Las Vegas and Phoenix drew only 464,000 viewers.

BOBBY BURACK OPINION: Caitlin Clark Is Going To Get Hurt

Clark and Indiana's win over the LA Sparks on Ion television on May 24 averaged 724,000 viewers, breaking Ion's previous WNBA viewing record of 290,000. The Las Vegas Aces' win over the Fever on May 25 drew 333.000 on NBA TV - the most ever for a network that has been airing WNBA games for 20 years.

WNBA's Dark Side Showcased Saturday

When the TV ratings for Saturday's high noon ESPN clash in which Clark beat her college nemesis Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, 71-70, come out, they are sure to provide huge numbers again.

That game also provided a view of the dark side of the WNBA for so many watching the league for the first time that veteran viewers already knew. The officiating is horrible, and overall the league appears amateurish.

When Carter called Clark a "dumb bitch" before slamming her to the floor with a hip and elbow push when the ball was not even in play, a referee was standing right there. But his only call was a minor, common foul "away from the ball," resulting in no technical free throws and no warning for an ejection. There was also no review of the play.

After the dirty play by Carter, Reese put her arm around her and congratulated her. Takes one to know one, as we would find out later.

DAN ZAKSHESKE OPINION: Mean Girls Play Is What WNBA Needs

The WNBA reviewed the play Sunday and correctly upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1 violation, which can result in a fine or suspension of the player. But there were no consequences for Carter.

The three officials calling that game were Jeffrey Smith, Randy Richardson and Gina Cross. It is unclear which official was right behind the play, but it was one of the male officials. Whoever didn't call a flagrant foul committed a major blunder in the no-call, and the two others also goofed by not intervening and overruling, or at least discussing what America saw.

Officials also did not call a flagrant foul against Reese, who threw her left arm out wide and hard and knocked Clark to the court again on another play. At least, though, Reese was battling for rebound position while the ball was actually in play. A flagrant foul still should have been called, though. And Reese has used that move before.

FLASHBACK: Angel Reese Used Same Arm Swing Vs. South Carolina

Indiana coach Christie Sides has seen her share of WNBA officiating as a WNBA assistant coach for 10 years before becoming the Fever's head coach last year. And she sounded fed up on Saturday after Indiana's win over Chicago. She laughed sarcastically when a question about officiating came up.

"We’re just going to keep sending these possessions to the league, and these plays, and hopefully they’ll start, you know, taking a better look at some of the things that we see happening, or we think is happening," she said. "Just more happy that Caitlin handled it the way she did. It's tough to keep getting hammered the way she does and to not get rewarded with free throws or foul calls. She has continued to fight through that. Appreciate that from her. Really, really proud of her for doing that."

Clark, as has usually been the case, took the high road.

"It is what it is. I feel like I'm just at the point now where you accept it and don't retaliate," Clark said when asked about the cheap shots. "Just let them hit you, be what it is, don't let it get inside your head and know it's coming. I'm trying to not let it bother me. Just stay in the game, stay in what's important, because it's always the second person that gets caught if you retaliate."

Smart call by the classy Clark. That's how you win close games. Meanwhile, Carter and Reese had their laughs and hugs, but they lost.

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (left) and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark battled throughout their game Saturday in Indianapolis. (Getty Images)

"I know at this point I'm going to take a couple hard shots a game," Clark said. "And that's what it is."

And it happened again on Sunday night in the Fever's horrendous, 104-68 loss at the New York Liberty. But at least this time it was a legitimate basketball play when Clark took a rough screen in the head area from a Liberty player and injured her ear with 6:29 to go in the game.

"Something went on with her ear," Sides said. "But I don't know anything other than that."

Fever trainer Todd Champlin worked on Clark, who returned to the Indiana bench and watched the remaining two minutes of the game on the bench. It did not look serious. And the Fever (2-9) have four days off for her to recover before its next game on Friday against the 0-8 Washington Mystics (7:30 p.m. ION TV).

Caitlin Clark Scores Season-Low 3 Points

Indiana's game Sunday was its second in two days and completed a stretch of six games in 10 days. And Clark and the rest of the Fever obviously need a few days off for mental and physical exhaustion and for practice. Clark had the worst game of her pro career - finishing with 3 points on 1-of-10 shooting, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range. She still managed five assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 29 minutes. She is still fourth in the WNBA in assists (6.4 a game), eighth in 3-pointers (2.5 a game), 13th in blocked shots (1.0 a game) and 18th in scoring (15.6 a game).

But Indiana forward NaLyssa Smith could've been speaking for her whole team when she said, "I'm tired. I just want to sleep in. It's been a while."

The WNBA, meanwhile, needs to wake up about how its games are being called and not called, particularly with Clark, who has consistently sustained flagrant fouls from a variety of players with too many no-calls.

It would be wise of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to talk to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. NFL game officials and referees and rules have protected quarterbacks for decades, particularly the best ones, like former New England and Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert displays Caitlin Clark's new Indiana Fever jersey after the team selected her with the first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15 in Brooklyn, New York. (USA TODAY Sports

Clark plays point guard, which is the quarterback of a basketball team.

There has to be consequences for players with a tendency toward flagrant fouls, such as Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese. Or a great player like Clark, or a very good player like Reese, or an average player like Carter, is going to get seriously hurt.

But it seems that now the WNBA is protecting everyone but Clark. Even after the Indiana-Chicago game Saturday, the press conference moderator protected Carter, of all people.

"I ain't answering no Caitlin Clark questions," Carter said, completely unprofessionally, after being asked about knocking Clark to the floor. "I don't know what she said."

A reporter followed up with, "What did you say to her?"

"I didn't say anything," Carter lied, despite replay cameras clearly picking up her mouthing, "Ya dumb bitch," before knocking her to the floor.

WNBA - Women's National Basketball Amateurs

Then the moderator jumped in and said, "That's enough" to the reporter.

Excuse me. "That's enough?" To a professional journalist who had asked one follow-up question.

"That's enough?"

That's what your mom tells you when you're 10 and you and you and your brother are arguing too much.

That's an amateurish call, just like the amateurish no-call involving Chennedy Carter. Welcome to amateur hour in the WNBA, which needs to grow up now that its league is.

The WNBA finally has a player people want to watch, and it doesn't see it.