The WNBA is now dealing with pressure from Congress regarding the recent stories about Caitlin Clark getting played with physical defense. A group of Republican politicians oworked together to write a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert demanding that the league takes greater accountability to protect the Indiana Fever superstar from taking physical hits. The unusual letter sees politicians trying to get involved in making decisions for a sports league in a rare act.
Texas Rep. August Pfluger shared the following on Twitter/X about the letter:
“I led my colleagues in demanding accountability from @WNBA. Commissioner Engelbert after MULTIPLE attacks against Caitlin Clark, a player who is transforming women’s sports and inspiring a new generation of young girls to participate in athletics.
I’m putting the league on notice that if it keeps letting the violent targeting slide, they could find themselves facing a DOJ and EEOC crackdown for violating federal civil rights law.”
The claim is that WNBA players are “violently targeting” Clark and that they will get involved if things don’t change. Another bold claim of violating civil rights laws implies that Clark is being targeted due to her race. The subject has already been touchy for the league to handle, but politicians turning it into a racial issue is not good for the league under any circumstances.
What Caused Politicians To Back Caitlin Clark?
A game in late June between the Fever and Phoenix Mercury led to the Clark story becoming bigger in the sports media landscape. Mercury star Alyssa Thomas made a physical play defending Clark that many fans felt was out of line since she’s missed time due to injury since then.
The topic turned into a controversial debate source that lingered into deeper territories like race and political elements. Right wing political talk shows accused Thomas and other players of trying to injure Clark with unfair play that broke the ethics of the game.
WNBA officials had to release a statement about Thomas and other players getting death threats with racial slurs thrown their way. These politicians felt like the league should be speaking on behalf of defending Clark and preventing future hard hitting fouls.
Indiana Fever Backed Away From Political Letter
The Fever clearly have Clark’s back as the franchise player THAT they’ve invested money and time into putting at the forefront. However, Clark’s Fever released a statement trying to stay away from agreeing with the letter.
Indiana released this statement about the political letter to the WNBA:
“Our organization nor Caitlin have had any interaction with anyone in this congressional group, and we were unaware of their letter. We have been clear in our public comments and in our ongoing dialogue with the league about the priority of player safety. The Fever added “Our players and our fans know where we stand on those issues.”
The WNBA suspending Thomas for one game after upgrading her flagrant foul felt like the end of the story. However, this puts Clark and the league under a microscope again. Clark tried to end the drama by releasing a longer statement last week talking about the stress of playing pro sports and how there’s no place for bigotry. Unfortunately, all of this is only going to continue for Clark with the recent letter.
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