dajo9 said:
I don't really follow the WNBA but I had certainly heard of Caitlin Clark from her college years. I began to see little blurbs on social media that Clark was being mistreated - by her coach, by her teammates, by the refs, by opposing players. Seemed strange because she is the golden goose for the WNBA and should be getting the Michael Jordan treatment.
So I tuned in a bit and it is wild. Her coach pulls her out of key moments of games, doesn't set plays for her, and easily gets mad at her. Some of her teammates seem to noticeably not pass her the ball. The refs call her for ticky tack fouls and let other teams pummel her. Some people say it is because Clark isn't as good as they say and because she has a bad attitude. She does seem to be struggling to just an All-Star level this year instead of an elite level. I suppose everyone being against you and your coaching purposefully trying to take you out of the game can do that to you. Last night the image below happened to her with no foul called. She left the game early with an injury. It's the craziest thing - it would be like if the NBA tried to take Larry Bird out because he had a bad attitude and didn't get along well with others.
dajo9,
You've really nailed it with this post. A very concise description of the constant abuse verbally, physically, and emotionally for a young basketball player who happens to be better at her sport (and her decorum) than all the players she competes against. This behavior by her opponents, on the court, is criminal, out and out physical assault, designed to hurt her physically and mentally. These people should be tried for assault and punished, in my opinion. Her teammates should be penalized for not supporting her. Back in the day, most professional basketball teams had an "Enforcer", who would break up assaults like this, separate the offenders from the victim, and physically punish them, even sacrificing themselves, be physically restrained and removed from the game, fined and suspended. The Golden State Warriors had Tom Meschery, Al Attles (and now Draymond Green), the Celtics had Jim Luscutoff, the Hawks had Clyde Lovellette. And there were many more. Where are Caitlin's teammates? Where are her coaches? Where are the referees? Where are the owners of her team? And most important, where is the WNBA? All in hiding? This is targeting, and whether it is in football, soccer, baseball, or basketball, it should be responded to, and not tolerated, ever. The people in charge should be forbidding this abuse of a star player, and punishing those who don't stand up to this violence.
I've read most of your posts here over the years on the Bear Insider, and I never have agreed with anything you wrote here. In that spirit, I'd like to say this post of yours is one of the best posts I have ever read on this board, by anybody, and I just wanted to congratulate you, and I thank you so much for writing it.
SFCityBear
SFCityBear