"The View" co-hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, defended a WNBA player's viral flagrant foul against star rookie Caitlin Clark on Monday, arguing it's a common part of the game and that Clark is a skilled player who is able to handle it. Some co-hosts suggested that the attention being given to the foul is excessive and that it is not motivated by race, but rather by Clark's high profile as the first overall draft pick in the WNBA.
"The View" co-hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, defended a WNBA player's viral flagrant foul against star rookie Caitlin Clark on Monday, arguing it's a common part of the game and that Clark is a skilled player who is able to handle it. Some co-hosts suggested that the attention being given to the foul is excessive and that it is not motivated by race, but rather by Clark's high profile as the first overall draft pick in the WNBA.
The foul in question occurred on Saturday night during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. Sky guard Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark to the ground off the ball, drawing a common foul call. However, the league later upgraded the call to a flagrant-1 violation.
The incident sparked a debate on social media, with some arguing that it was a dirty play that should have drawn a harsher penalty, while others defended Carter and said it was simply a hard foul that is common in basketball.
On Monday's episode of "The View," the co-hosts weighed in on the controversy. Goldberg said she believes the foul was not a big deal and that it is simply part of the game.
"Let's be realistic, OK? This is basketball, OK?" Goldberg said. "This happens in basketball all the time. Angel Reese got clotheslined the other day."
Co-host Sunny Hostin agreed, saying that it is a contact sport and that players need to be prepared for physical play.
"It's not dainty play. When you're sitting there [and] you're watching, sometimes when that happens you think, 'Ooh, wow. I couldn't take it,'" Hostin said. "But it's a contact sport."
Hostin also praised Clark for her toughness and said she believes she will be able to handle the physicality of the WNBA.
"It's going to make them better. It's going to make Caitlin better. It's going to make Angel better. It's going to make the league better," Hostin said.
Co-host Ana Navarro said she believes the attention being given to the foul is excessive and that it is not motivated by race, but rather by Clark's high profile as the first overall draft pick in the WNBA.
"It's construed as some of our minority Black and Brown women are hating on her because she's White, and that is not the case," Navarro said. "Let's take Caitlin out of the picture. It's not about Caitlin. Give her her flowers. She's done stuff that no man or woman, Black or White, has ever done in college basketball. Give that woman her flowers."
The co-hosts' comments echo those of Becky Hammon, the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, who said on Sunday that she believes the attention being given to the foul is "overblown."
"I think it's being construed as some sort of racial thing, and that's not the case," Hammon said. "It's about basketball."
The WNBA has not commented on the incident, but the league is expected to release a statement later this week.
