{"id":8518,"date":"2026-07-17T10:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8518"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:02:21","slug":"adam-silver-calls-caitlin-clark-a-political-football-as-the-wnba-keeps-dodging-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8518","title":{"rendered":"Adam Silver calls Caitlin Clark a &#8216;political football&#8217; as the WNBA keeps dodging reality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902317\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/nba\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NBA Commissioner Adam Silver<\/a> is taking a notably passive approach to the safety of the WNBA&#8217;s biggest superstar.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Rather than directly addressing the repeated <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902318\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/caitlin-clark\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">physical treatment of Clark<\/a>, Silver seemed more interested in tamping down the controversy.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">On Thursday, as Silver addressed Clark&#8217;s treatment at a CNBC Sports Summit in New York, the commish had an opportunity to demand greater accountability but instead argued that the Clark controversy has been fueled more by politics than by what is happening on the court.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902319\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/republican-lawmakers-press-wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-protect-caitlin-clark\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS PRESS WNBA COMMISSIONER CATHY ENGELBERT TO PROTECT CAITLIN CLARK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-inglewood-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-inglewood-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-inglewood-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-inglewood-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-inglewood-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaking at a press conference in Inglewood, California.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference at the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Ryan Sirius Sun\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve come to know Caitlin really well. She&#8217;s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it&#8217;s incredibly unfair to her. &#8230; It&#8217;s become political ping-pong with her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">To many Clark supporters, it&#8217;s Silver missing the point.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Silver shifted attention away from the repeated hard fouls and physical confrontations that have fueled criticism of the league. Instead, Silver suggested the bigger problem is the controversy surrounding Clark, not the repeated physical play that created it.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Ultimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark are not largely about officiating, and that particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time &#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902320\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/olympians-speak-out-against-wnba-handling-caitlin-clark\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>OLYMPIANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WNBA FOR HANDLING OF CAITLIN CLARK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/caitlin_clark.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/caitlin_clark.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/caitlin_clark.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/caitlin_clark.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/caitlin_clark.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Caitlin Clark No. 22 of the Indiana Fever sits on the court after being fouled during the second half of a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 30, 2024.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Caitlin Clark No. 22 of the Indiana Fever sits on the court after being fouled during the second half of a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 30, 2024.<\/span> <!----><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Clark&#8217;s supporters have watched <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902321\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/wnba\/indiana-fever\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the Fever star<\/a> absorb hard foul after hard foul this season, making Silver&#8217;s explanation a tough sell.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">But Silver&#8217;s reported involvement raises even more questions. According to multiple reports, he consulted with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert before <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902322\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/wnba\/phoenix-mercury\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Phoenix Mercury forward<\/a> <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902323\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/alyssa-thomas-wnba-star-suspended-punching-caitlin-clark-throat\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Alyssa Thomas was suspended<\/a> following the controversial throat strike.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Asked point-blank about the report, Silver wouldn&#8217;t confirm or deny it.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to comment on [the Engelbert report], because I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s fair to Caitlin, and to Cathy Engelbert either.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">While Silver did acknowledge one area that needs improvement, saying, &#8220;Do we need to <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902324\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/wnba\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">improve WNBA officiating<\/a>? No doubt about it,&#8221; he quickly pivoted away from the larger questions surrounding Clark&#8217;s treatment.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">At a time when the WNBA needed action, Silver chose optics.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/343\/192\/adam-silver-nba-cup-121625.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/686\/384\/adam-silver-nba-cup-121625.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/672\/378\/adam-silver-nba-cup-121625.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1344\/756\/adam-silver-nba-cup-121625.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1200\/675\/adam-silver-nba-cup-121625.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Adam Silver speaks during a news conference\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during press conference at the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/span> <span>(Kirby Lee\/Imagn Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Send us your thoughts: <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902326\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/mailto:alejandro.avila@outkick.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">alejandro.avila@outkick.com<\/a> \/ Follow along on X: @<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_1902327\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlejandroAveela\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">alejandroaveela<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Alejandro Avila is a longtime writer at OutKick, living in Southern California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is taking a notably passive approach to the safety of the WNBA&#8217;s biggest superstar. Rather than directly addressing the repeated physical treatment of Clark, Silver seemed more interested in tamping down the controversy. On Thursday, as Silver addressed Clark&#8217;s treatment at a CNBC Sports Summit in New York, the commish had&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/adam-silver-nba.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}