Things really kicked off between Jacy Sheldon and Caitlin Clark during their WNBA showdown on 17 June, and it wasn’t just a bit of competitive banter either – tensions were running high and it all played out right in front of a national audience.
It all started to boil over in the second quarter when Sheldon and Clark, former Big Ten rivals, had a moment that quickly went viral. Clark gave Sheldon a bit of a shove, and Sun player Marina Mabrey wasted no time stepping in and giving Clark one right back. Safe to say, the mood was already getting fiery.
Come the third quarter, Sheldon stayed tight on Clark’s defence, and in the midst of it all, poked her in the eye, reported Fox News. That sparked another shove from Clark, and Mabrey got involved again – this time pushing Clark to the floor. Things were starting to get out of hand.
But the drama didn’t stop there. Later in the game, it was Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham who ramped things up even more. As Sheldon attempted a breakaway layup, Cunningham grabbed her and dragged her to the floor. A proper scrap broke out between the two, with shoves flying in both directions. Cunningham was handed a flagrant-2 foul and both players were tossed from the game.
The home crowd in Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse made their feelings known, chanting Cunningham’s name in support after the dust settled. But it wasn’t just in the arena where things got loud. Sheldon’s Instagram quickly became a battleground, with Clark’s fans piling into her comments and throwing all kinds of abuse her way.
Some of the remarks were absolutely brutal. One commenter claimed Sheldon had been “jealous of Clark for 6 years,” while another went as far as calling her a “thug.” One wrote, “Congratulations — nobody knew who you were an hour ago, and now everybody hates you.” It only got nastier from there, with another comment saying, “I wish Clark would have knocked you AND Mabrey out!!”
To make matters worse, just a day after the match, the WNBA decided to upgrade Marina Mabrey’s earlier technical foul to a flagrant-2, which carries a $400 fine. That didn’t sit well with Clark’s superfans either. Dave Portnoy, a particularly vocal supporter of Clark, vented his frustration online, saying Mabrey should be booted out of the league altogether.
“Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league?” he posted. “Sick league @WNBA.”
All this is unfolding just weeks after the WNBA proudly rolled out its “No Space For Hate” campaign – a league-wide initiative aimed at cracking down on the very sort of online abuse now aimed at Sheldon. The campaign promises stronger digital and physical security, more mental health support for players, and a commitment to keeping the sport’s spirit intact.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement that the league wants to create an environment where fans come together in support, not hostility. “We want our arenas and our social platforms filled with energy and fandom, not hate and vitriol,” she said.
But given the way things exploded both on the court and online, it’s clear that putting that message into action is going to take more than a campaign slogan.