Whenever Caitlin Clark is attacked in the sports realm, her fans are usually fervent in their defense of the Indiana Fever superstar. However, it appears that some of Clark’s own supporters have expressed intense dislike towards her dynamic with a controversial Olympian.

As Milan Fashion Week unfolded, a photo of Clark getting comfortable with freestyle skier Eileen Gu went viral. Though Gu was born and raised in San Francisco, she has opted to compete for China (her mother’s home country) since 2019. This move drew the ire of many Americans even as Gu has brought her total of Olympic medals to six in this year’s Milan Cortina Winter Games.

On social media, netizens slammed Clark for having an association with Gu.

“Acting buddy buddy with this woman, is not a good PR move by Clark,” one netizen tweeted.

“This is not the same heartland of America superstar that I cheered on when I was a student at Iowa.”

“Clark already jumped the shark & decided to go woke.”

“Disappointing to see that she continues to drink the leftist Kool-aid.”

Meanwhile, other online users came to Caitlin Clark’s defense.

“Stop telling sports figures what to do,” one online user urged.

“OHHHHHHHH NOOOOO. MAGA GONNA CANCEL CAITLIN!!” another online user sarcastically commented.

For the past few years, Clark has been at the center of not only sports discussions but also political and social discourse. To her credit, she has frequently exercised caution with the words and actions that the public gets access to. There’s no telling, though, how much of an impact her potential association with Gu will have on her following.

Caitlin Clark Sends Shoutout to Former Coach Who Set Iowa Record for Wins After First Two Seasons

There was, however, no controversy went Caitlin Clark sent love to a former coach of hers at Iowa.

After Jan Jensen became the first Hawkeyes women’s basketball coach to rack up more than 20 wins in her first two seasons, CC tweeted a one-word message of support.

“Aura”

For the entirety of Clark’s stint in Iowa, Jensen served as an assistant to head coach Lisa Bluder. Though Clark has since risen to the status of two-time WNBA All-Star, she has clearly not forgotten her Iowa roots.