Caitlin Clark and Jeff Pearlman Jeff Pearlman thinks Caitlin Clark getting beaten up is “good for the WNBA.”

Many sports fans and athletes were livid after Caitlin Clark’s hard foul by a Chicago Sky player.

For those who missed it, Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter knocked down Clark away from the ball and appeared to curse at her during Saturday’s game. Carter got whistled for a foul, and after reviewing the play Sunday the NBA upgraded it to a flagrant 1 foul.


The play sparked fierce debate among fans, with the majority seeming to think it was a cheap shot, and Clark is being unfairly targeted. A few claimed she needs to get tougher.

Former Sports Illustrated writer and best-selling author Jeff Pearlman had a different view, that Clark getting beaten up is good for the league. That’s literally how he titled a TikTok video he posted Sunday: “Caitlin Clark getting beaten up is great for the WNBA.”

“I might be in the minority here … Caitlin Clark getting that hard foul from Chennedy Carter, I think it’s great. Seriously,” Pearlman said.

“If you look back at the NBA that I came up with, you had guys like (Bill) Laimbeer, (Charles) Barkley and Moses Malone and Artis Gilmore, just hard-nose, bad-a** players beating the s*** out of stars. Larry Bird took a beating, Magic (Johnson) took a beating. Guys couldn’t just go own the lane freely. … That’s what it was.

“I’m not saying you should just go after your best players, but it is part of it, it is part of being a rookie, especially a high-profile rookie.

“I thought it was good for the WNBA.”

@jeffpearlmanauthor Caitlin Clark getting beaten up is great for the WNBA. #wnba #caitlinclark #chennedycarter #indianafever ♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman


Pearlman is well-respected for his writing and reporting, both at SI and in a number of books on subjects ranging from Barry Bonds to Roger Clemens to the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. Fans who responded to Pearlman’s TikTok post did not seem to think this take ranked among his best observations.

Dakine44: “Are you really saying it’s great to physically assault a player outside the rules of the game? Rethink it. Most ignorant statement I’ve heard of.”

Ozymandia219: “Bad take. The players you mention beat the crap out of people when the BALL WAS IN PLAY.”

Boiler-Updog: “NBA learned that people don’t want to watch defense and stars harassed.”

Jonny: “Hard foul my a** … Cheap shot at best!”

[Jeff Pearlman, Tik Tok]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.