Crowds are “still turning out to see” G Caitlin Clark and the 5-5 Fever, as the team ranks atop the WNBA in away attendance, according to Liam Griffin of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The Fever have averaged 16,580 fans “each time they hit the road,” over 3,000 more than any other franchise. The Fever have yet to play against a crowd with fewer than 12,605. However, that will change on Monday, even as the Mystics will likely sell out the significantly smaller CareFirst Arena. Unlike in 2024, moving Clark’s visit to Capital One Arena was not an option this season. The stadium is undergoing another phase of construction as part of a three-year, $1B renovation. Griffin noted her availability this season has been a “continued source of controversy.” The Fever scratched Clark from the lineup less than two hours before a May 20 game against the Fire due to a back injury. She was not listed on the injury report leading up to the game. The WNBA issued a warning to the Fever. That is “the cost of doing business for a player like Clark, who remains a key cog in the WNBA’s growing media rights machine” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/7).
JUST PLAY THE GAME: In L.A., Bill Plaschke wrote, “I wish Caitlin Clark would just stop whining and play.” The “logo-shooting, circus-passing, shape-shifting revelation who was once arguably the most famous basketball player in the world has become rude, entitled and, frankly, not all that fun.” Plaschke: “The once-shining superstar is acting like a spoiled brat. The league’s most popular player has become its biggest lout.” It is “not too late for Clark to clean up her act and once again become the WNBA’s most marketable and popular superstar” (L.A. TIMES, 6/7).
