![Chicago Sky]()
In the span of the last 24 hours or so, Chennedy Carter has gone from relative obscurity in the public eye to
an instant, viral WNBA villain. Carter was retroactively hit with a Flagrant 1 foul on Caitlin Clark for decking her during the Indiana Fever's 71-70 win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday.
https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1796957757456687235
Beyond the obvious cheap shot Carter dished out, she also
refused to answer questions about Clark at the postgame press conference. She's only gone further since then by celebrating her antics, criticizing Clark's skill set, and saying she'd rather be loved than hated.
https://twitter.com/dhookstead/status/1796998124180849146
https://twitter.com/shahartley/status/1797029760704413908
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1797329078443225466
Anyone with eyeballs could plainly see in real time how ecstatic Carter's teammate, Angel Reese, was about the classless foul, too.
At least Carter actually showed up at the podium afterwards. Reese didn't even do that. For somebody who claims not to hate Caitlin Clark, Reese sure brings some weird-a** energy toward anything to do with her.
The good news for those of us reasonable folks
who aren't petty and appreciate what Clark has done for women's basketball is that the Sky are being held to account for the actions of Carter and Reese. In addition to the upgraded flagrant foul assessed to Carter, Reese was fined $1,000 for shunning the media, and Chicago got tagged with a hefty $5,000 fine as a team.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1797319896251986175
https://twitter.com/ESPN_WomenHoop/status/1797286881107030410
As the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft, Reese is making
a little over $73,000. So while the fine might seem small relative to other sports, it's a decent chunk of change for the rookie, whose beef with Clark dates back to college when they squared off in the 2023 national title game. Reese and LSU bested Clark that day, but Iowa got revenge on the Tigers this year in the Final Four. Maybe when
Jason Sudeikis, the mastermind behind Ted Lasso, is throwing your own taunting gesture back in your face, it might be time to reconsider how you carry yourself.
Look, rivalries are awesome and they add intrigue to sports. What's happening right now to Caitlin Clark in her first WNBA season is crossing over into "dirty play" territory. To do that to someone who's single-handedly brought so many fans to the WNBA, and to publicly voice such disrespect toward her, is so baffling to me. It will never make sense. It will never be a good look.
Such a weird hill for Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese to die on, but you know what? Let them go off, live in pettiness, and see how that shakes out. No need for mansplaining it to them. Ignorance can be blissful. Meanwhile, I'm almost positive Clark will only continue to improve, emerge as one of the WNBA's best players, and line
their pockets with more money in spite of their lack of tactfulness.
