Caitlin Clark burst onto the WNBA scene and captured the league’s attention while significantly boosting its popularity. But with that spotlight came the relentless physical play she faced throughout her rookie season. Yet, she remained unfazed, finishing her inaugural season without missing a single game. Now, as she takes a well-deserved break in the offseason, an incident from a recent NBA game has sparked renewed outrage among her fans, bringing back memories of the tough physicality she endured as a rookie.

When the Boston Celtics locked horns with the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, a bizarre incident caught everyone’s attention. After Jayson Tatum grabbed a defensive rebound, he dribbled down the middle, looking to capitalize on the fast break. However, as fate would have it, his former teammate and good friend Grant Williams charged into the Celtics star and halted the play.

While the collision sent both players tumbling to the ground, it was evident that Williams’ sole intention was to disrupt Tatum’s advance. After the tumble, Tatum quickly recovered and made his way back to his feet, walking off without issue. However, Williams faced a different fate as he was ejected from the game for his aggressive attempt to stop Tatum’s drive.

This incident fueled many fans to take to social media, expressing their frustration and calling out what they saw as media hypocrisy regarding how they reacted and covered differently in both these instances and rallied around Clark.

Fans question officiating and media bias in physical play recalling Caitlin Clark’s struggles

It’s no secret that Caitlin Clark faced intense physical play throughout her rookie WNBA season, with the numbers showing that the Indiana Fever has been on the receiving end of 17% of the league’s flagrant fouls. One memorable moment of this tough play occurred in a late-August game against the Chicago Sky. In the fourth quarter, as Clark drove toward the basket, she was met with a forceful obstruction from Diamon DeShields, reminiscent of Grant Williams’ recent block on Jayson Tatum in the NBA.

Yet, while Williams’ play resulted in an ejection, DeShields remained in the game despite receiving a flagrant foul. Fans were quick to point out the inconsistency, calling out the difference in officiating between the two leagues, especially given how similar the situations were. “Same play happened to Caitlin Clark. But player wasn’t ejected. Same W media saying respect to Jayson Tatum,” & “same situation happened here. u cant beat em so instead you purposely try to injure them 👎🏻”

When DeShields’ hard play knocked Caitlin Clark to the floor in that late-season matchup, fans were quick to express outrage over what they saw as unfair officiating, leaving DeShields in the game while Clark bore the brunt of intense physicality. The backlash was swift, with Clark’s supporters feeling she was often targeted on the court. In response, some media figures defended DeShields, arguing that the criticism toward her for a single foul was excessive.

Fast forward to the recent incident in the NBA, where Williams’ collision with Jayson Tatum received a notably different reaction. Many media voices were quick to call Williams’ move “perplexing,” sympathizing with Tatum as the victim of an overly aggressive play. Fans couldn’t help but notice the shift in tone as one user labeled the WNBA media a ‘joke’, highlighting the contrasting responses as evidence of an inconsistent standard.

“Grant Williams tackling Jayson Tatum is a “perplexing play” but when Diamond Deshields tackled Caitlin Clark to the ground YOU called it “just a regular shove” & YOU defended it The WNBA Media is the biggest joke in sports You’re a clown @NoaDalzell 🫵🤡“

Another fan pointed out the reaction in the comments on Williams’ recent Instagram post, where he was flooded with trolls calling him out for his foul on the Celtics star. The fan noted that if this had happened in the WNBA, the response would likely be the opposite—media and fans would rally to defend the player committing the foul, rather than the one who got fouled.

“Grant William’s comment section btw. W twitter/media would have been screaming to protect him instead of the person who got hard fouled.“

In the August clash between Caitlin Clark and Diamond DeShields, the backlash aimed at DeShields quickly led to a narrative labeling Clark and Fever fans as “too toxic,” suggesting they’d go to any lengths to defend their star. Another fan remarked that while the NBA’s decision to eject Williams was justified, it’s unlikely that anyone will hold the same scrutiny over the opposing fanbase this time around.

“Grant Williams did to Jayson Tatum the EXACT same thing both Diamond DeShields and Chennedy Carter did to Caitlin Clark. Williams was rightfully ejected, and there will be no think pieces on “toxic fanbases” as he gets flamed. #Celtics #Hornets.“

As Caitlin Clark enjoys her offseason, the contrast in responses to physical play in the WNBA and NBA remains stark and fans are making sure to take note of that disparity.