Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been credited for her role in the WNBA’s growth. However, her injury-plagued season has seen the league’s attendance drop, which was noted by ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.Rapper and media personality Benzino, who has a net worth of $400,000 (according to Celebrity Net Worth), wasn’t pleased with Smith's comments. He accused the ESPN TV host of betrayal and fueling racial division.“If I were a black woman in the WNBA would not f*** with Stephen A. Smith," Benzino said on Saturday. "He went on a whole tirade today about how black women in the WNBA should really be careful about the Caitlin Clark situation because when Clark doesn’t play the viewership goes down.“Y’all never needed Clark. Y'all didn’t need Caitlin Clark to pop off to WNBA and y'all been doing fine just without her. He really wants The woman of Of WNBA To get penalized for playing hard on her. F*** Caitlin Clark.”Clark has been a transformative figure in the WNBA since being drafted at No. 1 in 2024. She has drawn record-breaking viewership and attendance, helping the league achieve historic numbers last season, including over 54 million viewers and 2.35 million in attendance.However, the former Iowa star faced intense physical play and hard fouls. Some analysts viewed it as standard competition, while others saw it as excessive or motivated by jealousy/racism debates.Smith addressed this on Friday's episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher.” He called Clark the WNBA’s “cash cow” and warned that rough treatment could harm the league, as viewership drops when she doesn’t play.He also expressed support for a federal investigation into how referees and the league handle her physical treatment. He suggested that it might involve bias or inadequate protection, a stance that drew backlash, with critics like OutKick calling it “insane” and overblown.Stephen A. Smith says President Trump could be involved in Caitlin Clark’s treatmentStephen A. Smith discussed the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump getting involved in the controversy surrounding the treatment of Caitlin Clark. He clarified that he was not advocating for a federal investigation. However, he believed it was a plausible scenario given Trump’s history of engaging with high-profile issues to energize his political base.The discussion stemmed from a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published on Aug. 3, titled “The WNBA and Caitlin Clark’s Civil Rights.” It was written by Sean McLean, a former Trump administration staffer.The article argued that Clark has been subjected to excessive fouling and a “hostile workplace.” It added that it was due to the WNBA’s failure to address aggressive play against her.