The flagrant foul by Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark garnered significant attention across the sports world last week.
ESPN’s “First Take” ran the story on the front page, with three commentators, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Monica McNutt, commenting on the incident. McNutt wondered at the time why the first topic on a debate show was the foul.
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Monica McNutt attends the “Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story” New York Premiere at the WNBPA Offices on January 29, 2024 in New York City. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Monday, “The Daily Show” In an interview with Jon Stewart, McNutt again expressed some frustration with how the story was being covered.
“John, this conversation started over the weekend about this foul,” she said. “Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky fouled Kaitlyn Clark of the Indiana Fever. John, I’m not gonna lie and tell you what happened that morning. I got a call, I mean an email, and I was like, ‘Can we really lead the sports world with this? Can we really lead the sports world with fouls? In the sports world? Okay, fine, let’s do it.”
“So we had a conversation with our colleagues and friends, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, and my biggest takeaway from the conversation is that the tone and the general perception being made about WNBA games this season is that it’s the league versus Caitlin Clark, and that’s just completely false.”
ESPN panelists worried Kaitlyn Clark will be used as an ‘avatar’ to attack black WNBA players
Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (No. 7) is whistled for a flagrant foul after taking Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (No. 22) to the ground at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 1, 2024. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It’s not fair to all the women who’ve built the league up to this point, for Caitlin Clark’s popularity to take it to the next level. So by the end of the show, my tone had to change and I had to be a bit more firm.”
Stewart asked if there was anyone in the WNBA who felt, “I don’t want this to belong to everyone. I want it to belong to this group of sisters who have worked so hard to make this something.”
McNutt raised his hand.
“There’s been a few moments like that because while the conversation is dictated by the crowd, we haven’t really sat down and talked about actual basketball yet,” McNutt said, pointing out some storylines from the WNBA season.
Monica McNutt attended the “Swagger” premiere during the 2023 TriBeCa Festival held at AMC 19th Street on June 17, 2023 in New York City. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for TriBeCa Festival)
“We opened the door, but we’re not going in, we’re just looking in.”
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The WNBA announced Monday that May “was the most attended opening month in 26 years and saw the highest season-opening ratings ever across all networks.”
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