Caitlin Clark has been the center of debates ever since stepping onto a professional court. Media figures are questioning how the league handles its most popular star. 

On June 25, 2026, sports commentator Colin Cowherd dedicated a segment of his show to the topic. The rant was about the release of a new 30th-anniversary poster that omitted the Indiana Fever star. 

"The WNBA, they just keep driving into a wall at full speed with Caitlin Clark…this is a paranoid, weird, insular league," Cowherd stated on his YouTube channel TheHerdwithColinCowherd.

He pointed out the ignorance of leaving her off the poster while including stars like Paige Bueckers and rookie Angel Reese.

Cowherd believes this poster shows a bigger problem behind the scenes. In his view, the league is failing to highlight the player who has driven national attention and commercial growth. 

Cowherd reminded his viewers that Clark is the primary reason teams are now flying on private jets and moving games to NBA arenas to deal with the crowd sizes.

Not only that, Clark's 19.2 points per game record is the seventh-highest in WNBA history among players with at least 50 games.

According to him, leaving her off a celebration poster shows a total disconnect from commercial reality.

The timing of the poster release overlapped with growing concern over how games are being officiated. Many analysts feel that the league is failing to protect its biggest financial asset from dangerous play.

This combination of poster release and physical hits has created a talking point for basketball fans. 

The missed throat foul on Caitlin Clark that led to the outrage

On June 24, 2026, the Indiana Fever were up against the Phoenix Mercury. With 6:52 remaining in the 1st half, Clark lost her balance and fell onto the hardwood. 

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas pressed her closed fist into Clark's neck and throat area. Thomas then stepped over Clark while she was still on the floor. Despite the clear and dangerous contact, the referees on the floor did not blow the whistle for a foul during live action. 

The missed call went viral on social media, with the video clip posted by an X user, @HeavensFX. 

The game went in favor of Mercury with the final scoreline of 109-111. After the game, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White showed her frustration.

White called out the officiating crew and stated that the cheap shots on her star player were unacceptable. 

The league office later reviewed the tape, upgraded the play to a Flagrant Foul 2, and handed Thomas a one-game suspension. For Cowherd, this late disciplinary action was too late. He argued that the missed call and the poster controversy are part of the same problem. 

Despite dealing with constant physical defense, Clark has put up good numbers in 2026.

Through 17 games, she is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. 

She even earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors and guided Indiana to a 10-8 record and 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Is there a disconnect between the league front office and its modern star? 

Read more at Her Sports Nation! 

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Koushik Biswas