INDIANAPOLIS – In the world of pro sports, there’s nothing quite like a coach-player clash, especially when it comes to something as mundane—yet monumentally important—as the volume of the music at practice. Cue Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever’s rookie phenom, and now-former head coach Christie Sides, who recently found herself on the wrong side of Clark’s noise threshold in one hilarious practice showdown.
The incident, revealed by Clark’s teammate Lexie Hull on The Ringer WNBA Show, could be nominated for one of those “things you never thought would happen at practice” lists. It all began innocently enough. Sides, known for her intensity and perhaps a touch of volume in her coaching style, decided to blast some loud music during practice. Her logic was simple: prep the team for the inevitable deafening roar of an opposing crowd.
But rookie Clark wasn’t having it. At all.
“There was one practice,” Hull recounted between laughs, “where Christie turns on this loud, loud music, and Caitlin just yells, ‘Can someone turn it off? It’s giving me a migraine!’”
Now, imagine a crowded gym, the music blaring, the players pushing through drills—and suddenly, Clark just calls it out. “Turn it off, coach!” Just like that. And of course, the team froze. Apparently, a hush even came over the music itself, almost like it was contemplating muting itself out of respect for the migraine.
Sides, understandably taken aback, did a classic double-take. “What did you say?” she asked, probably expecting Clark to back down, as any rookie might. But Clark doubled down: “It’s giving me a migraine.”
Cue the whole team, rolling on the ground, barely able to hold it together. Hull describes the scene as pure comedy gold, with her teammates in stitches, not quite believing what had just happened. After all, not everyone would dare tell the coach to hit the mute button—especially not after she’d just cranked it up.
“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Hull said, still clearly amused by the memory.
While it’s all water under the bridge for Indiana now, with Sides out and the Fever on the hunt for a new head coach, this little moment of rookie audacity lives on in Fever lore. Who knows? Maybe Caitlin Clark will put “music director” on her résumé along with her three-point stats.
The Fever may be looking for a new leader to guide them to a championship, but one thing is clear: whoever takes the helm might want to check the volume level before hitting “play.”
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