NBA Boss Calls Caitlin Clark A "Political Football" Over Racism Controversy

The WNBA has been the butt of jokes for decades.  The women's league is a perpetual money pit, with annual losses of around $40 million per year, all subsidized by the men's league.  The level of play is often tedious, the pace is much slower and the athleticism is lacking compared to the men's game. 

It's the reason why the WNBA has far less viewers, makes no profit and why the women athletes are paid far less.  It's not sexism ad many of the players claim, it's just basic math.

One would think that any player that doubles (in some cases triples) the viewership of league games by her mere presence would be widely celebrated by all the people involved including the commission, but sadly, this has not been the case with Caitlin Clark.  Clark's expertise and superior ability on the court has brought new life to a floundering sport; the problem is, she's relatively new to the league and, she's white. 

This combination triggered many of the minority players, leading to public back-biting on sports talk shows and flagrant fouls on the court.  The audience and social media started to take notice.  In fact, one could argue that it was all the clips of jealous WNBA athletes attacking Clark on the court that made her more popular than ever.  Not to mention, it seems as if most of the fouls are committed by black players. 

The latest flagrant foul involved Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, who appeared to knee Clark in the groin area and then press her closed fist into Clark's throat while she was on the ground.  No foul was called. 

🔥Hold up…A closer look at the dirty play by Alyssa Thomas last night w/ a new angle — Wait for the freeze + zoom on each.

- Knee to the groin
- Pinches her underarm
- Fist to the throat
- Attempt to stomp on her (she moved)

Why do @WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark so much? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/83JZSChdEu

— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_OfThe_Day) June 25, 2026

Clark suffered a back injury from the incident and has to sit out multiple games.  This is a regular occurrence with Clark; she stands near the top of the list for most fouls and flagrant fouls in the WNBA.  In many cases involving flagrant fouls, referees do not make the call, leading to anger and social media backlash among fans. 

Some of the dirtiest tricks in basketball are on display regularly in WNBA games, and the attacks on Clark look practiced and organized.

   

It's not always black players that go for the cheap shots, but there is a clear pattern emerging.  It could be envy over Clark's far larger fan following despite being a newer player (female cattiness), but suspicions are hanging in the air that her treatment is largely race motivated.  By far, Clark's most vocal critics in sports media are black.

The WNBA and the NBA are not happy with the political undertones of the Clark controversy.  NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently called Clark a "political football" in interviews as he attempted to dismiss the WNBA's numerous problems with officiating fouls.  He seems to outright dismiss any concerns about race-based targeting of Clark.

Speaking as part of a panel at an event in New York, Silver said the debates surrounding Clark had become about broader political and cultural issues in the United States rather than basketball alone.  He specifically referenced the foul by Alyssa Thomas that led to Clark's injuries.  

"That particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time of the game or whether that was ultimately a flagrant non-review....I've come to know Caitlin really well. She's an incredible player and also an incredible person.  "And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. And she's become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it's incredibly unfair to her."    

Speaking of unfair, Clark was snubbed by the WNBA in a 30th Anniversary commemorative poster (she was strangely absent from the roster), and she was snubbed by the 2024 Olympic "Dream Team" despite being a top star and #1 draft pick. 

Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player and sports analyst (who is also coincidentally black), asserted on the Speakeasy podcast in June that Clark has "become a distraction" and that the WNBA would be better off without her.  He argued that Clark got audiences to watch the games, and now the WNBA can throw her away. 

🚨🚨WORST TAKE OF ALL-TIME🚨🚨

Ex-#NFL LB Emmanuel Acho says the WNBA would be better off without Caitlin Clark because she is a distraction.

“The WNBA would be better without Caitlin Clark, because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive” pic.twitter.com/MVwHoWRS8u

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) June 29, 2026

They hate Clark and her popularity with a passion, but they like the idea of stealing her audience for themselves.  It's rather pathetic, but we're talking about the WNBA.  They have lived in the gutter for so long they can't imagine climbing out of it.  Of course, Acho is delusional if he thinks all the "eyes" Clark brings to the WNBA won't leave with her if she exits the league.   

The bottom line is this: Clark puts butts in seats.  No other WNBA player comes close.  Yet, the league and many of its commentators treat her like a pariah because they can't make their crow's nest of minority players behave.  They are the cause of the controversy.  They made Clark into a "political football" by remaining apathetic and dismissive.