Caitlin Clark controversy causes outrage as WNBA called out

Caitlin Clark has made headlines once again, but not because of anything she's done as fans swarmed to her defence following the WNBA's latest decision.

There can no longer be any doubt that Indiana Fever superstar Clark is the biggest name in the Women's National Basketball Association and one of the biggest names in the sport.

It is widely considered that once the 24-year-old calls time on her career at some stage in the future, she will do so as the greatest of all time unless her career comes to sudden end earlier than expected for whatever reason.

For many, Clark is the face of women's basketball and has played a big role in the WNBA's rise in popularity in recent years.

Therefore, when fans realised that she wasn't included in a promotional graphic for Indiana Fever's match, they weren't happy, prompting many to call out the WNBA.

Ahead of a a nationally televised doubleheader featuring the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm alongside the Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream, the WNBA posted a graphic on X to promote the matches.

Rookie guard Raven Johnson alongside Zia Cooke featured to promote the Fever-Storm matchup, while the earlier game featured stars A'ja Wilson and Angel Reese, with Clark nowhere to be seen.

And it didn't take long for fans to notice, prompting Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy to take to social media and make some bold claims about the post.

“This is so intentional,” Portnoy said. “Caitlin Clark is the face of your league, and she’s not on the promo from the WNBA account.”

In another post, he added: "This is the most idiotic promo I’ve ever seen in sports. I like Raven Johnson. But to not put Caitlin Clark on every graphic for every Fever game is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.

"Like would you ever promote a Lakers game without LeBron? Spurs without Wemby? OKC without SGA? It’s so intentional I can’t wrap my brain around it. How can this league be so god damn stupid?"

Portnoy wasn't the only one to call out the decision, with media personalities like Bobby Burack and Jason Whitlock expressing confusion over Clark's omission.

And although she didn't let the noise stop her from scoring 21 points in 23 minutes of play during Fever's 89-78 win, the match was the first time since Sept. 19, 2024 in which she had 10 or fewer field-goal attempts.

Caitlin Clark's true impact on WNBA revealed by basketball legend

Thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement made during offseason, WNBA players are making more money than ever and although this is not all because of Clark, the 2024 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick has certainly played a key part.

And that is exactly why WNBA legend Lisa Leslie ensured to praise Clark while discussing her importance to the sport on ESPN's "First Take".

“This is a money business, and the money is about Caitlin Clark,” Leslie said.

“Never in the history of the WNBA have we had a player force teams to get into larger arenas. I’ve never seen that happen. If you’re the GM, you’re obviously supposed to be bringing in money. That’s revenue. I’m going with Caitlin Clark.”