Was the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter harassed because of her foul on Caitlin Clark?

Though details continue to emerge, what we do know is that the Chicago Sky players were confronted by a man outside of their hotel in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. The team is in town to play the Mystics on Thursday.

Chennedy Carter was harassed by a fan

If it wasn’t clear, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to what appears to be harassment directed at the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter. That said, let’s begin with the facts. According to reports, a single man approached the team with a camera and made an attempt to speak with Carter. As per Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca, a police presence was not required as the man was reportedly escorted away by the team’s security. “It was over as fast as it started,” Pagliocca said. “I’m very confident in our security always making our players feel s

afe. Today was a great example of how critical they are to our team.”

Is this related to Caitlin Clark?

While we can’t say that definitively, it is worth noting that the incident comes just four days after Carter floored Indiana Fever rookie, Caitlin Clark, a move that has become a lightning rod in a much wider discussion about Clark’s place in the WNBA. With that, let’s take a look at the chronology of events i.e., the context that has brought us to this point, beginning with the body check that Carter gave Clark which you can see here. Following the game, the Sky player declared that she wouldn’t be answering any questions about Clark, before stating that she had “no regrets” about what she did.

The 25-year-old then took to social media where she openly questioned Clark’s value in the sport. Ironically, that was alongside a statement from Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon who disclosed that she had spoken with her player and that the foul was “not appropriate”. It’s also worth noting that at the time of Carter’s foul on Clark, Sky teammate Angel Reese could be seen applauding. A rival of Clark’s in college and one who infamously taunted her in the NCAA championship game, Reese later stated that she is happy to play the “bad guy role.” Interestingly, there was a standing ovation for Carter from Sky fans at the following home game. As you can probably guess, all of this along with Carter’s apparent lack of remorse has only served to fuel the fire. Most recently, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma stated that he believes Clark is being targeted, and truthfully, he may have a point.

Yet, we can’t forget one glaring issue and that’s safety. Regardless of whether Carter and Co. are guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct or if there may in fact be disproportionate coverage of the incident involving Clark because of race, something that has been suggested. The reality still remains that it’s simply not OK for people to approach athletes with the intent to do harm because they don’t like something said athlete did in a game. “Finding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK,” wrote Angel Reese. “This really is outta control and needs to STOP.” Reese isn’t wrong.