The Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky aren’t in any position to win the championship this year, yet the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese drama continues. Another sports analyst in Colin Cowherd chimes in on the controversy surrounding the WNBA.
Cowherd believes it's beneficial for the WNBA that Sky forward Angel Reese committed the flagrant foul on Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
The foul took place in the third quarter of their Sunday afternoon game. While both players have downplayed it as merely a “basketball play,” media outlets have seized upon the incident to further the ongoing narrative surrounding Caitlin Clark.
Colin Cowherd commending Caitlin Clark
Cowherd commented on Thursday that the reaction to the foul unfolded exactly as he anticipated.
Colin Cowherd praised Clark's basketball skills on a Monday's episode of The Herd, calling her a very talented player who is continually improving and showcasing brilliance on the court. He mentioned her exceptional vision and passing abilities, highlighting how everything is coming together for her. Cowherd also noted that while the media may struggle with handling certain aspects of the situation, players like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark understand how to navigate through it.
“This stuff is so predictable… Everybody's freaking out with Caitlin Clark… Angel Reese is picking on her and hard fouls… Major League Baseball is a good comp here. Because Major League Baseball and the WNBA always feel like they're ignored. They’re very protective of ‘THERE’S A WAY TO PLAY THE GAME!’, it’s very insular, it’s a very ‘PAY YOUR DUES!’ mentality,” Cowherd passionately talking about the recent controversy.
Observers overreacting
While numerous observers are overreacting to Reese inadvertently hitting Clark's head, Cowherd suggests that adding some physicality could benefit the WNBA.
“So when good looking and cool Bryce Harper came into Major League Baseball basically out of high school, he got into a fist fight with one of his teammates. They were throwing at him, it was very much ‘YOU’RE THE PRODIGY! YOU’RE THE HOT SHOT!’, and it didn’t last 6-7 games, it lasted like three years. You heard a lot of this preachy stuff of ‘THERE’S A WAY TO PLAY THE GAME!’ Baseball is very insular. There is a way to play the game and there are ‘unwritten rules,'” the radio show host continued.
A few weeks ago Chennedy Carter's hip-check foul on Clark, initially called a common foul but later upgraded to a flagrant-1 after league review, ignited widespread controversy. This incident led to debates about whether players were targeting Clark and being overly physical on the court.
It's a win for the WNBA
Colin Cowherd continued stating, “The WNBA — similarly ignored and lamenting the publicity — and here comes the Iowa hot shot and it’s ‘PAY YOUR DUES TIME!’, and they’re pushing her around and there's flagrant fouls. The WNBA to a fault has a little bit of a ‘US vs. everybody else’, and Caitlin Clark is an outsider. They're going to make her pay her dues. I’ve seen this stuff before and so have you.”
“You see it in fraternities – hazing. You see it in the military. Insular, very tribal, certain societies; this is how we operate. This is hazing but not nearly as ugly as the private hazing that we've had historically at fraternities and in the military,” Cowherd comparing the controversy around Clark to hazing.
“This is a win for women's basketball. These flagrant fouls are a win. I defended Draymond Green forever so I'm going to be outraged by this? It's a flagrant foul. She got up and played, okay? “
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will be fine
Cowherd mentioned that women who commit flagrant fouls shouldn't be labeled as villains. He cited Diana Taurasi's previous flagrant foul, pointing out that such incidents are part of basketball. He likened it to the various sides of every industry, including basketball, and noted that both the NBA and the WNBA are navigating through these challenges.
“It's the people who parachute into this sport that never watched it that don't understand the chippiness that you get in the WNBA. People that don't watch the WNBA — I'm one of them — parachute in and are outraged,” Cowherd stressed.
Cowherd expressed his frustration by stating that he's not interested in people's outrage if they weren't aware of the league's existence six months ago. He emphasized that he's tired of the widespread outrage on the internet and social media platforms like TikTok, and he believes it's unreasonable for people to suddenly express outrage about something they previously didn't know or follow.
The veteran radio show host reassured everyone by saying that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are both doing well and are part of what he considers perhaps the best WNBA rookie class ever. He encouraged everyone to take a deep breath and assured that everyone, especially Clark, will be fine.
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