"She is not the good person she pretends to be": Caitlin Clark fans revisit Dawn Staley's controversial referees tweet on its anniversary

In January 2023, Caitlin Clark drained one of the best shots of her college career. But before Clark's buzzer-beating game-winner against Michigan State, the Iowa Hawkeyes' Molly Davis made two of three free throws after a controversial foul call in her favor.

At the time, USC Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley posted a tweet questioning the foul call.

"Heckava shot but give the game ball to the ref for the shooting foul call. 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️," Staley wrote.

Several fans revisited the tweet a year on.

"Staley is the OG op and I will never be persuaded otherwise--she is not the good person she pretends to be," a fan wrote.

"She's very unlikable and her eventual fall will be enjoyable...." another fan wrote.

"😂😂 it’s not that serious. she just giving her thoughts on games that she watch like she always does," a fan said.

Several fans wrote that while the call was terrible, Staley had no reason to comment on that while hailing Clark's shot.

"That was a trash call though. The only thing that made me forgive it as unbiased observer was Caitlin’s shot being filthy," another fan wrote.

"The call was terrible but I have no idea why she would even touch that," a fan commented.

"Nah it was insane. Especially since publicly criticizing officials is a $25,000 fine and she doing it in a game she not involved in," another fan uttered.

Caitlin Clark gives her take on the declining NBA ratings

There has been a sharp decline in NBA ratings in the last few years. From the alleged lack of physicality and competition among players to the boom of 3-point shooting, many factors have been pointed out as the cause.

Caitlin Clark pointed to several possible reasons.

"Honestly, I feel like the average basketball fan doesn’t understand how good NBA players are," Clark said on New Heights. "And they think it looks like they’re not trying. I promise you, they’re trying. They’re just, like, so good. That’s why it looks like they’re not trying."

"The physicality of the league has changed a lot," Clark added. "I wasn't around when it was much more physical and maybe people want more beef and physicality, and people think it's gone soft. But I think that's also because the skill has just changed." (1:01:18)

However, it is not all gloom and doom for the NBA. This year's Christmas games' viewership increased by 84% compared to 2023 despite heavy competition from the NFL, which featured Beyonce at halftime of the Houston Texan vs Baltimore Ravens game.