The Indiana Fever is soon going to lock horns with the Chicago Sky again. While it has been a couple of weeks since their first game, the incident between Chennedy Carter and Caitlin Clark has not yet lost its spark. The clip where the Sky guard hip-checked Indiana’s rookie has gone viral over time and with everyone sharing their opinion about it, it’s only fair that Clark’s former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder too added her sentiments to the topic.

The former Hawkeyes head coach who has been in the industry for 40 years talked to Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post. Expressing her reaction to the play, Bluder said, “Yeah, I saw it and I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked. I was kind of upset, obviously about it.” She also added her reason for partiality towards Clark, saying, “Because I care about this kid so much and in my opinion, she is one of the futures.”

Bluder mentioned how eight years from now, Caitlin Clark would be one of the key players in the league. Hence, she suggested to the WNBA, “Let’s protect her a little bit. Let’s make sure that these kinds of things aren’t happening.” Agreeing with the podcaster, Lisa Bluder also stated that the league should have suspended and fined Chennedy Carter for her flagrant play. “That sends a signal. By them being kind of dull about it doesn’t send a signal,” Lisa Bluder said on the podcast.

The former Iowa head coach Bluder and Caitlin Clark rose to great heights in the last two years. Moreover, the duo also gave college basketball a new era. Hence, when the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer moved to the WNBA, fans expected something similar out of her. But following the physicality issues of the league, not just the rookie, but the entire WNBA has come under a negative light and Bluder has a few suggestions for that too.

Lisa Bluder’s advice to the WNBA to save Caitlin Clark

Officials being partial to Caitlin Clark is not a new thing. Players like Angel Reese and Kelsey Plum have also joined officiating controversies back in the 2024 March Madness. However, in Iowa, it was usually to their advantage. Now, it is the opposite. While Bluder is well aware of the narrative around Clark and how the veterans are hating on her, she also has some advice on how the non-profitable image can be converted back.

The recently retired coach suggested, “We have to (send a signal) if you want the product to be well. All the negative publicity that came with that, lack of call, lack of discipline there. All the negative publicity made the people sour for the WNBA. That’s not what we want. We want to show how great this is. All of a sudden, we look like ‘Women out for… you know… petty’ that doesn’t look good. We have to make this product look good for the masses if wanna continue to attract the masses.”

This draft class has escalated the growth of the WNBA exponentially. After the completion of the first month of the 2024 season, ESPN revealed a big number. In the 26 years of the league, this very month brought 400,000 highest WNBA fan attendance. The store transactions have also boosted by a whopping 756% this season. However, the negative light for the league can turn all this high into a low.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.