Despite all the brilliance Caitlin Clark displays on the court, she definitely still commits fouls, trash-talks, and gets into it with referees from time to time. Those, as many would agree, are simply part of the game. However, for broadcaster Cari Champion, there appears to be a bigger leeway for Clark to operate freely in some of these aspects of the game.

Speaking on the Flagrant and Funky podcast, which she hosts with Jemele Hill, Cari Champion pointed to a specific incident that she believes Clark might have gotten away with.

“I didn’t like the way [Caitlin Clark] talked to the ref. When she was like (clapping), ‘Open your eyes’, and he (the ref) was like, ‘Calm down.’ And in my mind, I’m like, ‘Open your eyes? Are we allowed to talk to the refs like that?’ But the night before, the same ref, from my understanding and I could be wrong, dealing with Paige Bueckers teed her up because she was clapping… That type of blatant favoritism annoys the h-ll out of me.”

Champion is comparing two very real events, but she mixed up the timeline, the games, and the referees completely.

The Caitlin Clark incident she is talking about actually happened last season. During that game, Clark walked up to a referee, aggressively clapped in his face, and yelled at him to “open your eyes”. The referee simply gestured for her to calm down and did not penalize her.

Meanwhile, the Bueckers incident happened last week during the Atlanta Dream game. After Bueckers successfully drove toward the basket, Dream’s Indya Nivar drew a whistle for a foul on her. In response, Bueckers clapped three times, prompting an immediate technical foul from the official. Stunned by the call, the bewildered Dallas Wings player appeared to mouth, “Are you serious?” back to the referee.

These two moments happened at completely different times and involved different referees. Even though Champion mixed up the dates, many fans still agree with her main point: It feels unfair that Bueckers got punished for a quick clap while Clark got away with screaming right in a ref’s face.

However, Clark doesn’t necessarily have the favor of the whistle. While she got away with the 2025 incident, Clark actually picked up a technical foul for the same offense just days before Champion’s podcast. During the Fever’s 87-78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, after Clark was called for an offensive foul, she walked over to referee Jason Alabanza while sarcastically clapping and arguing. Immediately, the player was hit with a technical foul, her first of the season. 

For Cari Champion, however, Caitlin Clark appears to be enjoying special treatment nonetheless. And situations like that of Bueckers continue to fuel her dislike of Clark’s on-court behavior.

“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘Ooh, I don’t like you’,” she said. “I don’t like how you behave on the court.'”

Jemele Hill believes there may be a simpler explanation for what Champion is seeing. According to Hill, superstars like Caitlin Clark are naturally going to get a little more leeway from officials than most players. Yet she agreed with Champion’s point.

“I’m not saying that she shouldn’t. But I think her behavior toward them is so unseemly sometimes,” Hill said. 

Whether that amounts to favoritism or simply the reality of how star athletes are often treated remains a matter of opinion. But that doesn’t stop critics from airing their blunt takes. 

Hill: Being a Caitlin Clark fan is “not fun”

Hill admits Clark plays great basketball. But the constant controversy ruins the fun.

“Caitlin Clark should be a joy to watch. And what you find is that Caitlin Clark, because of some things she does, the experience of watching and being a fan becomes soul-sucking. It’s not fun in the sense that if everybody’s always building a conspiracy theory around her. Like the s–t is draining. It is just very draining.”

In simple words: Hill pointed out that fans constantly having to navigate debates, controversies, and conspiracy theories surrounding Clark and that can make the overall experience a rather exhausting one.

But what do you think? Has the constant controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark made the fan experience more draining than enjoyable at times? Or do you believe the excitement she brings to the court still outweighs all the noise that comes with it?