Dan Patrick defends physicality against Caitlin Clark, flames "casual" fans for whining: "Variety of players get roughed up"

Veteran sportscaster Dan Patrick defended the WNBA's physicality amid criticism from "casual" fans, who think that the league didn't protect Caitlin Clark. Patrick took a shot at them as well as the WNBA for not being prepared for the influx of new fans.

On ESPN's "The Sports Reporters," the crew of Patrick, Adam Schefter, Tracy Wolfson and Bill Rhoden discussed the impact of Clark on the WNBA. The season is about to end on Sunday as the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx play Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

Patrick took a shot at "casual" fans for being too critical of the physicality, while also calling out the league for not being prepared with the increase of its popularity.

"It almost felt like the WNBA wasn't ready for what Caitlin Clark was going to bring with her, and that meant you were going to have people not familiar with the WNBA," Patrick said.

"I was shocked that fans were shocked, so-called fans, with the physicality of the WNBA. You clearly haven't watched the WNBA. They are physical, and all of a sudden, it's Caitlyn Clark's getting roughed up. Well, there's a variety of players who get roughed up.

The host added:

"Watch the games, watch other games. It felt like they were zeroing in on our little Caitlin Clark and she's getting roughed up. Was she? Yes, but that's the physicality of this.

"She's a wonderful player. She brought a lot of eyeballs, and because of that, she brought a lot of opinions. It's almost be careful what you asked for, and I don't think the WNBA was truly ready for what was going to happen with the casual fan coming in."

Caitlin Clark had a historic rookie season, and the effect she has had on the WNBA was tremendous. She had her ups and downs early in the season before taking over and registering one of the greatest rookie campaigns in league history.

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Unrivaled basketball league looking to bring Caitlin Clark in inaugural season

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, is set to start in January 2025. The roster is almost complete, with four more players still to be announced.

One of them might be Caitlin Clark, who the league is trying to sign a contract. Front Office Sports reported that Unrivaled will make an effort to convince Clark to get back into the spotlight.

Collier hinted in an interview with ESPN that fans should expect a few more rookies to join next. She dodged the question when asked if she was talking about Clark but praised the rookie for taking the WNBA to the next level.

She even argued that the 22-year-old star needs a raise for the things she has done for the league and its players.