On Wednesday, Aaron Torres, the ever-watchful Fox Sports host, threw a Twitter grenade by comparing Olympic legend Michael Phelps’ enthusiastic support for Leon Marchand to the cold, arctic reception Caitlin Clark allegedly receives from WNBA players and coaches. Using a viral video of Phelps cheering for Marchand—who was busy smashing Phelps’ own Olympic records—Torres highlighted the stark difference in reactions.
“Michael Phelps – watching the man, Leon Marchand – who is breaking most of his records. Interesting to compare this, to the reaction of how 99 percent of WNBA players and coaches have treated Caitlin Clark this year 🤔,” Torres tweeted, dropping the mic and an emoji.
The Tale of Two Athletes
Compared to Phelps’ giddy fanboy moment, Torres insinuated that Clark might as well be playing on Mars for all the warmth she’s been getting from the WNBA crowd. When asked in a post-game interview about the best game advice she had received, Clark’s response was a deadpan, “Nobody gives me advice in game. I wish.”
Ouch. Not exactly a pep talk from the sidelines.
Sheryl Swoopes Weighs In
In the latest episode of the “Queens of the Court” podcast, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes weighed in on the Rookie of the Year debate and threw Clark under the proverbial bus. According to Swoopes, Angel Reese has done more with less, and Clark’s impact on the Indiana Fever is, well, as expected.
“I think Caitlin has done, I think, exactly what was expected of her with Indiana. The reason why they drafted her. What the expectations were, and I think she’s done just that,” Swoopes said, adding a subtle, “Is Indiana in the playoffs right now, without Caitlin?”
Translation: Clark is good but not good enough to make the Fever sizzle.
Dawn Staley’s Olympic Snub U-Turn
Even before she laced up for her WNBA debut, Clark was no stranger to side-eyes and cold shoulders. But in a dramatic plot twist, USA Basketball selection committee member Dawn Staley had a change of heart over Clark’s Olympic snub. In an interview with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, Staley admitted that Clark, with her current WNBA form, would now be a strong contender for the Olympic roster.
“Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn’t playing bad, but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people,” Staley confessed, possibly while eating a slice of humble pie.
The Silver Lining
Despite the Olympic snub and lukewarm reception, Clark continues to break records and keeps her spirits high, cheering for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft shared her excitement with reporters on Wednesday, proving she’s a class act, if not always a crowd favorite.
In the end, it seems like Caitlin Clark is taking the high road—one record-breaking game at a time. And who knows, maybe one day she’ll get the Michael Phelps-style cheer from her peers. Until then, she’ll just keep doing what she does best: being phenomenal.
