Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has opened up about her mental state amid her ongoing struggles on the court. After returning from a back injury, Clark has had a hard time finding a rhythm.
During the Fever’s 88-75 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, Clark’s frustration came out over a disputed no-call. She let the official know that she thought she was fouled multiple times on the same possession while also suffering a leg contusion.
Before Wednesday’s game, Clark said there is a “mental hurdle” to overcome after returning from injury and it might take some time to trust her body again.
“I think the hardest part of injury is something I’m still really battling and almost struggling with is just the mental hump of getting over everything,” Clark said, via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “I understand my body too well to a point now, and it’s something I wasn’t in touch enough with before my injuries. And now I understand it very well. You just become hypercautious about certain things.”
Amid the frustrating episodes with respect to mental health and getting no favors from officials, one fan wondered if Clark is enjoying the WNBA at all.
“Caitlin Clark has lost her joy,” one fan wrote. “It’s been sucked out of her by the officials, her opponents, her coach, her teammates, and the league. Will she ever get it back? I honestly don’t know, but I’m not convinced she will.”
Fans shared mixed reactions to this point of view.
“She’s too soft for pro sports,” one fan wrote.
“Well it’s not fun when every single game you play there’s millions of you guys online slowing videos down freeze framing doing the whole poor Caitlin thing nobody wants to be looked at like that yall have sucked the fun out of even watching her play,” another fan added.
“Or y’all are starting to realize that popularity does equate to being the best…..” another commented.
“Sure, let’s blame EVERYONE for Caitlin’s bad game. Let’s blame her boyfriend, her parents, her neighbor, the milk man, the mail carrier, your mom, the dork reading this post, the towel boy, the DJ, the guys drumming on the third level, Lexie’s stylist, and Sophie’s pet donkey,” one fan remarked.
“I hope she gets it back. She has been so fun to watch and I love her game (when she is allowed to play it),” one fan commented.
“I think you’re right. It doesn’t look like she even enjoys playing the game. Honestly, I doubt she gets it back and think she’s better off leaving the WNBA and playing overseas,” one fan added.
Caitlin Clark Unhappy With Officials After Not Getting a Call
Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White have been vocal about the level of physicality and the type of calls that are being missed by officials against the Fever star.
In the second quarter against the Valkyries, when Clark tried to attack the paint, Golden State’s Kiah Stokes stepped over her leg, as the Fever star went down. Despite that, no whistle was blown, leaving Clark confused. When she approached the official, the official said she was the one to initiate the contact.
This left the guard upset after the game.
“The ref can’t miss that … then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game,” she told ESPN. “It’s ridiculous. … (The ref) said I initiated the contact. Which is fine, but you can’t knee me in the leg. Knock me over.”
White also wondered how Clark is always the one to initiate contact, throwing sarcastic remark against poor officiating.
“They said Caitlin initiated the contact. That’s all they said,” White said. “She seems to always be initiating the contact. I’m trying to not get fined. Again, all I’ll say is that we just keep asking for consistency.”
There have been a series of such events throughout the season, and according to White, if the officials do not make the right calls, they should at least be consistent while calling fouls.
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