Geno Auriemma Doesn't Doubt 'Personal Animosities' Toward Caitlin Clark in the WNBA
UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma made a strong claim regarding Caitlin Clark's treatment in the WNBA during a July 6 appearance on the "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" podcast.
"I do think there are some personal animosities in that league where people are going to take a shot at [Clark] unfairly. No question about that," Auriemma said in the podcast.
"Anybody can deny it all they want. Because if I’m wrong, then there will be a lot more people coming to her defense and they’re not. And neither am I, because I don’t coach in the league and I don’t play in the league. But, yes, it shouldn’t be a national referendum, and yes, there are players in that league that would love to kick her a** every minute of every day," he added.
This comes in the wake of Clark's exchange with Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas (where Thomas put her hand on Clark's throat after the two battled for a loose ball, which sparked a national outcry and caused Thomas to be suspended), which was the biggest story in women's basketball (and beyond) for more than a week.
Why Geno Auriemma Believes This 'Personal Animosity' Towards Caitlin Clark Exists
Before this comment from Auriemma, he was speaking about how Clark has become a lightning rod regarding race relations in the WNBA, saying that the obsession from her fans made it so the perception was "[Clark] became the reason why white players get beat up in the WNBA and she became the reason why Black players don't get the endorsements and don't get the adulation that Black players get."
He noted that Clark isn't to blame for this, and he doesn't believe this is why the "personal animosities" towards her exist. Instead, Auriemma seems to think that it's both natural for a top pick to be fouled hard in games and that Clark is especially susceptible because other players resent her profile and status in pop culture as someone who came in and was credited for changing the league forever, backlash to the hype in a sense.
Auriemma made it a point to qualify that the flagrant fouls against Clark were not some "referendum on America."
It's always interesting to hear Auriemma talking about Clark, as he has received blowback in the past for saying that he didn't believe she was ready to handle the league's physicality.
But when he made those comments, they were in the context of her physical stature and attributes, rather than the psychological factors in why players might want to be physical with her.
His standing in the game speaks for itself so many are likely to take what he has to say seriously. So Auriemma giving validity to the idea that the fouls Clark is "unfairly" on the receiving end aren't simply happenstance is noteworthy. As is him articulating what he thinks is the motivation behind them, which could be an insight into how he views the whole ordeal given his history in the sport and the phenomenon Clark became.
Regardless, it's all once again much more about the things swirling around Clark, than Clark herself.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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