Why is the Fever's Caitlin Clark being treated like a pinata? This must change

Hard fouls, cheap shots...is it jealousy, racial animus, something else?

What exactly is going on here?

We’re talking about competitors taking all sorts of liberties with Caitlin Clark, from hard fouls to unquestionably dirty off-the-ball shots that have no place in the game, men’s or women’s. I don’t know if it’s jealousy or if there’s a racial component (I sense that there is) or if her rivals just can’t deal with the fact she’s the new face of the WNBA, but it needs to stop or somebody (namely Clark) is going to get hurt.

It happened Thursday night, when Seattle forward Ezi Magbegor hammered Clark to the floor in the Fever’s home loss to the Storm — no call — inspiring Fever coach Christie Sides to get her first technical foul of the season. Then it happened again Saturday afternoon, when Chicago’s Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked Clark to the floor while the Fever rookie was standing by and waiting for an inbounds pass from her teammates. Later, Angel Reese, the Sky forward who was Clark’s college rival while she was at LSU, put her arm around Carter and congratulated her for putting Clark in her place – specifically, flat on her back on the floor.

Look, Clark doesn’t need to be coddled; she’s a tough-playing, tough-minded player who can take good care of herself. But she needs to be protected from this spate of excessively physical fouls, whether that’s Sides earning a technical (as she did Thursday) or maybe a player stepping in the way Dave Semenko used to avenge cheap shots aimed at Wayne Gretzky while the pair played in Edmonton. Shoot, the Indiana Pacers brought back James Johnson, and it wasn’t for his basketball acumen. He’s a black belt and is known as one of the toughest hombres in the NBA, not to mention the fact he’s an old pro who’s good to have in a young locker room. But they brought him back right after the post-game kerfuffle with the Milwaukee Bucks, just to send the message the Pacers will not be trifled with any longer.

It’s an odd way to treat your meal ticket, wouldn’t you say?