"It has brought a lot of growing pains" - Chiney Ogwumike highlights problems Fever phenom's fame has allegedly forced upon WNBA

The arrival of Caitlin Clark, one of the most popular figures in women’s basketball, has led to a growth in the popularity and following of the WNBA. When Clark was picked first in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, it generated a lot of attention.

However, her popularity also led to greater focus on a lot of issues surrounding the league. The range from the media’s treatment of its players to bigger social and racial issues.

ESPN analyst and former WNBA player Chiney Ogwumike acknowledged these newfound challenges, calling them "growing pains" for the league.

"I think that with all of the growth that Caitlin [Clark] has brought, it has brought a lot of growing pains. ... Now you have the opportunity to educate people who are coming with you ... so that hopefully the focus can be on the game," Ogwumike said in an episode of ESPN’s First Take.

The 22-year-old prodigy has been at the forefront of the WNBA's rise. Despite losing most of their games, the Fever saw a massive uptick in attendance this season, selling out all their games so far. Clark has even overshadowed some of the league’s established stars, despite being a rookie.

Her massive following from her days with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where she broke plenty of NCAA records, can be attributed to Clark’s talent. But this has also generated heated debates on certain issues.

The most talked about was Team USA’s snub of Caitlin Clark for the Paris Olympics as the federation chose experienced players over her.

Other incidents include Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s flagrant foul against Clark last week and Connecticut Sun’s DiJonai Carrington’s mocking of her after a foul.

This led to some heated commentary in the media and issues pertaining to race also came into it. Unfortunately for the Indiana Fever's rising star, they have taken the focus somewhat away from her purely sporting success.

Caitlin Clark appeals not to use her name to push agendas, even on off-court issues

Caitlin Clark has chosen to focus only on what happens on the court rather than off it, appealing to others to not use her name for pushing agendas.

"Everything on the outside, I can't control that, so I'm not gonna spend time thinking about that. People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever it is. But I think for myself, I'm just here to play basketball," she said.

In another media scrum, Clark showed her displeasure at being used for pushing conversations about contentious societal issues.

“It’s disappointing. Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. People should not be using my name to push agendas,” she said.

Despite the outside noise surrounding her, Clark remains steady on the court, averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on the 3-10 Fever. In the long run, one hopes that its stats like these that would matter, not the color of her skin or her political opinions.