WNBA fans point out "hypocrisy" in Caitlin Clark's detractors, compare indifferent attitudes toward Sheryl Swoopes and ROY favorite

Caitlin Clark and Sheryl Swoopes have been in the headlines recently after Swoopes was pulled from a scheduled WNBA broadcast last week. While Swoopes has been a staple of the league's commentary this season, Bally Sports reportedly pulled her from the scheduled broadcasting gig over fear of bias against Clark.

While many have criticized Swoopes for her takes on Clark, others have stood up for the WNBA legend, stating that she's entitled to her own opinion. While that may be true, one WNBA fan pointed out that at one point, Clark unfairly came under fire for the comments and actions of her fans.

Earlier this season, amid talk of Clark and Angel Reese's competitive rivalry, some of the former's fans took things a step too far on social media. At the time, there were calls for Clark to reel in her fans; however, others pointed out that the young star isn't even on social media and has no obligation to control her fans.

One WNBA fan tweeted that Clark being held responsible for her fans' actions while Swoopes is given a pass for her bias against the Fever player is hypocritical.

"The same exact group of people who said that a player was responsible for their fans actions & nasty unnecessary behavior is now saying that a former player is not responsible to answer or be called out for her actual own words & actions. The hypocrisy is overlooked"

Looking at the ongoing Sheryl Swoopes-Caitlin Clark controversy

Sheryl Swoopes has come under fire for her comments about Caitlin Clark since 2023, prior to the young guard ever playing in a WNBA game. After Clark broke Swoopes' March Madness scoring record, the WNBA legend pointed out that Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes played six games, whereas she played just five.

At the time, she gave Clark her props but stood up for herself and the fact that she played one fewer game in the tournament because of a first-round bye.

She then followed it up with an incorrect statement on "Gil's Arena," where she stated that Clark should be better than other NCAA players because she played five years in college. She also alleged that Clark took 40 shots per game, another statement that was incorrect.

The comments earned the WNBA legend criticism, with fellow WNBA vet Nancy Lieberman going on record as saying that she spoke to Swoopes about the matter. As she revealed while speaking on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" this weekend, her decision to hold Swoopes accountable created a rift between the two.

For her part, Swoopes recently shared a text exchange between herself and Clark from back in February. As she showed, she apologized to Clark for getting her facts wrong.

Despite that, she has been dismissive of Clark, calling her a bully on the court who pushes off to get shots. In addition, she also didn't mention Clark when naming Indiana Fever players who have contributed to the team's post-Olympic run.

Given that, Bally Sports reportedly felt as though she couldn't be impartial when calling Indiana Fever games, pulling her from a scheduled broadcasting appearance and adding to the controversy.