Take this for instance: Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark got embroiled in an altercation with a fan mid-game on the court, on Wednesday. Although Clark’s team, the Indiana Fevers, lost to the Connecticut Sun by 87-81, Clark hogged the spotlight in a brief moment when she confronted a heckler in the crowd. And her teammate DiJonai Carrington was subject to hate speech on social media.

According to Nicki Swift, when the man started to heckle Clark, she immediately complained to the officials and they took swift action against the offender. Security was called in, and the man was pulled aside for a brief time.

Although it was not clear what the exact offense was, game footage from ESPN showed that even Clark’s teammate NaLyssa Smith seemed to be taken aback by whatever the man told the former. Footage also showed that Clark engaged in a back-and-forth with the offender before finally turning to the officials.

The Fever’s defeat to the Connecticut Suns has sparked a barrage of hate comments from fans on both sides. A lot of people, who call themselves fans of Clark, have slung hateful and racist comments to the black players on both teams. 

Caitlin Clark Incident Highlights Growing Racism in WNBA Basketball

As mentioned previously, Clark’s own teammate, DiJonai Carrington, shared screenshots of racist abuse she received online, according to a report by The Guardian. One comment was particularly vile, calling Carrington a racist slur before saying that they hoped ‘somebody raped her and cut her head off’. Carrington faced a lot of hate after she accidentally gave Clark a black eye during a foul.

Alyssa Thomas, forward for the Connecticut Suns, said that the abuse she faced was one of the worst she had seen in her career of eleven years. “It’s unacceptable, honestly. There’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names. I mean, we already see what’s happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect…….It’s uncalled for. Something needs to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking, there’s no time for it anymore,” said Thomas. 

In a significant move, players from both teams have come forward to condemn the abuse.