In her exit interview, as Caitlin Clark gave every answer with a hopeful smile on her face, you could see one question hit her unlike any other. A reporter had asked her comments on her backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell’s claims about getting “flak” from the Indiana Fever fans just because the two were on the same team. For a second there, you saw the ever-so-PR-prepared responder take a beat. It was a strange revelation, truly.

In their final regular season home game, as the shooting guard stood on the free throw line, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd stood up, chanting, “M-V-P!” They had chosen her as the favorite guard among the two. But you cannot deny that her position didn’t come with enough expectations.

So, Clark collected her thoughts, said what needed to be said, but that sadness, that hurt, was apparent on her face as the smile wafted away. Hearing about what she once called “trolls” wasn’t new for her, but hearing it from her own teammate who has been performing lights out was simply, different. Unfortunately, that’s the identity that the Fever now carries. The reason why their new general manager needs to set things right. Until that happens, The Athletics’ Annie Costabile believes it will keep taking a toll on whoever sets their foot in the city, and for the team’s own championship hopes.

“A lot of players who are experiencing this harassment online, threatening messages, racist messages, when you step into that arena, then, you’re carrying with you the weight of all the things that you’ve received via this (phone) screen,” Costabile said on the Flagrant and Funny podcast. “There’s also experiences that sources relayed to me that have happened in real life, including multiple players being called a racial slur in Indiana.

“What I was told, and what I reported, is that this has not happened in other arenas. At this point, it’s about the franchise setting a tone. The franchise’s inability to address these issues puts it on the players then to address these issues. So you now are in a situation where Kelsey’s having to speak to this. Aliyah, Caitlin has become the face of this toxicity because the franchise is not owning it.”

Playing in Indiana has never been easy. The shared Hoosiers fans are known for the instensity that can be described as both good and bad. Players would agree, too, acknowledging the passion with which the Fever fans show up for its team. But Costabile’s research opens the door to a darker side that needs to be stopped.

Recently, she and Brian Hamilton spoke to players, league executives, and agents representing 60 athletes across the WNBA, and “found that the widespread perception of the Indiana Fever experience — no matter what jersey you wear — clouds the franchise’s path forward.”

The reaction to the action only got more concerning.

Players prepare to face the Indiana crowd more than the Fever team

It wouldn’t be news if I said that many players don’t feel comfortable playing in Indiana. Whether it is Angel Reese, Alyssa Thomas, or A’ja Wilson, they all have raised their voices against the vitriol they have faced, especially since 2024.

Several agents told Costabile that they deactivate their social media accounts around Fever games because of the relentless online toxicity they faced. One agent also added that players had received racist messages following games against Indiana, and though this doesn’t mean every abusive message comes from a Fever fan, it points to concerns that need to be addressed by the team, especially considering that their own players have had to weigh in on the situation.

Following the team’s playoff elimination against the Las Vegas Aces, Kelsey Mitchell offered a glimpse into how the attention around Clark affects her teammates — both in good and bad ways.

“If I showed y’all my DMs about the hate and all of the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player, it’s a lot that goes into that,” Mitchell said in her exit interview. “Playing with (Caitlin Clark) and having the eyes that she’s got (on her), we get a lot of flak just from being on her team. I think that that comes with a lot too.”

Thomas and DeWanna Bonner have both revealed that their addresses got leaked earlier this year. The two also got threats after the fouling incident where Thomas had her hand on Clark’s neck but didn’t get called.

The next obvious question: What next?

It is not an easily controllable issue. The league improved its fan code of conduct a few years ago to settle the restless players. But that is limited to the arena. The Fever itself has a solution to that end with their own security. What about the social media exposure, though?

“Some of the suggestions I heard from sources varied from the Indiana Fever consistently calling out the toxic behavior,” Costabile said. “If that’s every game, that’s every game. But acting like it’s not happening or acting like there isn’t a difference between what’s happening in Indiana versus other markets. One person was like, ‘They have to stop doing that. This isn’t a typical fan behavior.'”

Amber Cox had a plan, but she was shown an exit door

The general manager’s firing came suddenly, but while many believe it might be due to her inability to control the narrative around the team and the fanbase, it had many other layers including roster building and contract structures. Before she left, though, she had addressed this issue in her interview.

She came out in support of Fever fans, saying that “attacks” on Fever fans had “no basis in reality.”

“We did not have one fan pointed out by a player who violated the WNBA code of conduct this season,” Cox had said. “Our fans love this team. They’re going to cheer, they’re going to boo, and sometimes they might point. It’s a home-court advantage for a reason.”

However, knowing of the abuse is one thing, but addressing it is another matter entirely. And Cox had a plan for this fall.

“Once we get through the (WNBA) Finals, we will very aggressively start reaching out, asking to have these conversations,” Cox said. “My hope is players will come to the table, and if they have had experiences that we don’t know about, they will share those. We want to hear them.

“It’s hard to hear because we want Indiana to be a welcoming place.”

She planned on engaging with the WNBA and WNBPA to devise a strategy to move forward with the same passion without the hostility. Just look at the Golden State Valkyries’ fans.

The Ballhalla is touted the best fanbase. But while they have made the noise to support their team, they have also understood it doesn’t necessarily mean bringing the opponents down.

Simply put, the new GM has their hands full and one of the more important tasks to begin after building a championship-caliber roster hopefully featuring Mitchell would be to address the narratives built around the team that has brought as many bad curves as good.