American sportscaster Stephen A. Smith suggested the WNBA could face a government investigation into the treatment of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, if they fail to address the ongoing issue.
Smith made the comments when reacting to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, which argued that Clark is playing in a hostile workplace environment.
The Journal article claimed that officials have consistently turned a blind eye to physical plays against Clark. It also called for a federal investigation into ‘potential civil rights violations’.
Smith backed the idea when discussing the issue on his podcast, and believes the government would have a case for it.
“I’m not here saying the case will be won by the government if it gets to the points,” he said on Tuesday. “I’m saying they have a case, they have an argument.”
Clark’s treatment could become a ‘national issue’
Smith went further with his analysis, and thinks the issue could become a political one – one which President Donald Trump could use to his advantage.
The veteran journalist said: “Do we doubt that at his discretion, at his disposal, if he finds this to be an issue that is politically expedient to him, that Trump won’t use this to feed his base?
“If [Clark] is seen to be physically getting abused on the basketball court in a way that is such a clear and flagrant discrepancy compared to what happens to others, that that man is not going to say something?
“You don’t think Caitlin Clark could become an issue of national, potentially international, and definitely federal proportions?”
Smith finished off by advising the WNBA to implement last two-minutes reports which are used in the NBA. These are public documents which analyze officiating decisions in the final two minutes of matches.
“WNBA you’ve been forewarned. You gotta address this,” warned Smith.
WNBA issues not exclusive to Clark
Clark is not the only player in the WNBA who has faced similar frustrations. Sports Illustrated argued in a recent report that the problem is systemic and becomes worse when officials fail to enforce control.
Chicago Skye’s Angel Reese recently exploded at the poor level of officiating following a 80-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
“[It] has to be fixed,” Reese said after the game. “I don’t give a damn if I get fined because that s**t is cheap and I’m tired of this s**t.”
New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud has also pointed to a strained relationship with referees.
“I work my f******g ass off all offseason for these four months to try to win a championship,” Cloud told the media.
“If I feel like [referees are] having too much f*****g impact on the game, it shouldn’t be. This is collaborative to make this thing go.”
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