After the viral incident involving Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas, Thomas received a one-game suspension and a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty. Clark's biographer, however, was deeply unsatisfied with the brief suspension and immediately challenged the league's disciplinary standards.

With 6:52 left in the second quarter of the Mercury's tight 111-109 win over the Fever, Thomas was seen pushing her fist to Clark's throat and stepping over her. She received her punishment after the game, but Christine Brennan, the author of ON HER GAME: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, questioned the decision.

"A one-game suspension and no mention of punishment for the officials is a very poor response to a significant WNBA problem," Brennan wrote on X on June 25. "Column coming soon."

Brennan later published the column in USA Today, criticizing the WNBA for its lack of consideration of the seriousness of the situation.

She also suggested the punishment she thinks would have been more accurate.

"The league’s paltry one-game suspension of Thomas, with a tiny $1,000 fine (she makes a base salary of $1.2 million a year) and no mention of punishment for the officials overseeing the incident," Brennan wrote in her column.

"The barely begins to address the problem. Ten games and a fine well into five figures would have sent a significant message. One game does not."

She further talked about how the two-time All-Star has impacted the league.

Christine Brennan Speaks On Caitlin Clark's Impact On The WNBA

In her USA Today column, Brennan elevated Caitlin Clark, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, to an unprecedented tier of sports stardom, arguing that her unique presence changes how the league must handle safety.

"She’s (Clark) the one. No need to add other names," she said. "If we’re talking TV viewership, moving to bigger arenas, sponsorships, bringing in waves of new young fans who want her autograph and will be around for the next 50-60 years, shoes, apparel, trading cards, you name it — no one else belongs in the same sentence."

Brennan further compared Clark's stardom to that of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. She also suggested that, due to Clark's popularity and growing security risks, the WNBA announced full-time charter flights for its players.

Brennan also talked about how Clark and the Indiana Fever averaged more attendance in 2024 than five NBA teams did last year.

The Fever averaged 17,036 fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They averaged 16,560 last year, as per Sports Business Journal. However, Clark played only 13 games last year due to recurring groin injuries.

Brennan has shown frustration through her column; Thomas, on the other hand, will not be able to play against the Toronto Tempo on June 27.

Read More at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Koushik Biswas