Caitlin Clark gets support from Congress as WNBA commissioner warned about players targeting superstar

Caitlin Clark will now start a 15-game stretch until the break for the Olympics.

Caitlin Clark gets support from Congress as WNBA commissioner warned about players targeting superstar

Congressman Jim Banks comes in defense of Caitlin Clark, sends letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to step in

The main conversation the entire sporting world has been talking about since last Friday was the hit on Caitlin Clark. The conversations have not died down completely as the WNBA, her Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky have been the three entities on the lips of everyone. Now, Congressman Jim Banks has brought the discussion to the political level after sending a letter to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

After initially praising Cathy Engelbert for the work she is doing for the sport, the Republican Congressman then divulged the specific incident that has transpired. Outkick got hold of the letter.

During the Fever’s win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday, Chennedy Carter went out of her way
to knock Clark to the floor while neither player had the ball. Further, the excessive attack was
visibly cheered on and supported by Carter’s teammate Angel Reese. Indiana is a basketball state. We don’t wince at aggressive defense, but this was not an example of playing “tough”; it was a cheap shot that could have resulted in an injury and should not be tolerated. Every data point shows, when Caitlin Clark plays, more people watch and what they are seeing right now is a league that refuses to hold hostile players accountable and enforce their own rules of sportsmanship.
the letter read

The letter essentially suggested that the league has done nothing but be diplomatic in handling the situation. Whereas Jim Banks feels the league should have punished Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese.

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He even mentioned a 4-point questionnaire asking the commissioner what steps the WNBA is taking to punish repeat offenders. In this case, Carter has been part of a few issues with teammates in the past. Making the incident seem a character issue than a sporting one.

Jim Banks also asked what steps Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA would take to protect Caitlin Clark, who has been drawing unprecedented crowds and viewers to the game. Now with this going to the congress level, it will possibly draw a different level of attention.

Caitlin Clark’s next set of games should show their growth

After the initial 11 games, Clark and her Indiana Fever are on a 4-day break from games. At that time, the rookie superstar did say that she and her team would get the time to prepare for the next games. It will also help her team figure out what all went wrong and needs fixing. They can also build upon what has been working for them.

The most telling part of the next set of 15 games is that there are no back-to-back games. That itself will help them recover and play better. This second set of games should help them win more games and steadily improve as a team. Chemistry building is crucial if they are to avoid becoming one of the worst teams in the league again.

Caitlin Clark does have a long way to go before they can establish themselves as a playoff contender. But this break and the extra time to prepare will hopefully pan out into a better run until the league goes into a break for the Olympics.

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