Caitlin Clark may be uncontrollable for the Indiana Fever

Loose cannon

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

The Indiana Fever have soared to new heights of popularity,  with Caitlin Clark leading the way. The franchise is ultimately going to go as far as their superstar guard will take them, but keeping her in check has proven to be a more difficult task than they might have anticipated.

Win at all costs

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

The face of the WNBA sat down with David Letterman during the spring of 2025 to discuss a wide range of topics. Letterman said to Clark, “That encapsulates what I know of you as a human being. It’s that competitive drive that overrides every little daily occurrence. Am I right about that?”

Confirmation

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Clark told Letterman, “Yeah. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad.”

Trick or treat

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Clark further said, “I loved Halloweens when we trick-or-treated in Des Moines growing up. And I would be, like, so sweaty under my costume, because I was in a dead sprint from house to house. Like, I had to have the most candy. That’s how I operated.”

Balancing act

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

While these personal anecdotes are pretty funny, it helps illustrate the delicate line the Fever have had to walk as they’ve navigated Clark’s brilliance early in her WNBA career.

Christie’s side

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Christie Sides was Indiana’s head coach during Caitlin Clark’s rookie campaign. She said in an interview captured by Sports Illustrated in 2025 about Clark, “First and foremost she is the most competitive human being I’ve ever met. I really compare her to Diana Taurasi.”

Technical difficulties

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

However, sometimes that unbridled desire to win at everything cost Clark and her team during her rookie WNBA season. She received six technical fouls in 2024, which put her one short of the seven that would have automatically had her suspended for one game.

Admission

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Clark told the New York Post in September 2024, “I think there’s definitely a line…sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t. It is what it is…I think I could have done a little bit better job controlling my own emotions.”

Same story

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

However, Clark’s consistent complaints towards the referees have not stopped in her second WNBA season. Additionally, White and Clark’s teammates have been outspoken regarding the lack of fairness of calls in Fever games, which continues to shine a light on the problem.

Calling out the calls

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

After a contentious game with the Connecticut Sun, Fever forward Sophie Cunningham told Yahoo Sports, “I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple years now of them just not, not protecting the star player of the WNBA.”

Pervasive problem

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Coach White told Yahoo Sports, “Everybody’s getting better, except the officials. So, we gotta find a way to remedy it. I mean, we’ve heard every coach talk about it. I don’t know what the answer is.”

Street clothes sniping

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

Even when Caitlin Clark was out of the lineup earlier in the season with a quad strain, she was still arguing with the referees. She walked up to a referee in an early June contest as halftime was about to begin to give a piece of her mind.

Enablement?

Loose cannon, Win at all costs, Confirmation, Trick or treat, Balancing act, Christie’s side, Technical difficulties, Admission, Same story, Calling out the calls, Pervasive problem, Street clothes sniping, Enablement?

The Fever haven’t exactly been shy about discussing their feelings on WNBA officiating, which may have empowered Clark to lean into her predisposition to contest every call. This may not be a good thing for Clark or Indiana in the long run.

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