Caitlin Clark has been driving business to Indiana for nearly two years. But this time, she’s not just showing up as their star player. Rather, she’s suiting up with her GM hat on, as the WNBA All-Star captain, proudly representing the East. “It’s cool that fans get to be a part of it and have that impact on the game. It’s gonna be really special to be able to do it here in this city,” said Clark. It’s almost poetic that Indy’s favorite will lead one of the All-Star teams on her home court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on 19th July.
Moreover, she’s going up against the Minnesota Lynx forward, Napheesa Collier. The timing couldn’t be better, with the Lynx-Fever showdown just a day away. And it could give the fans a real idea of how things might go down. Because Caitlin Clark has clearly expressed her priority for roster spots. “Obviously, I’m going to try to get my teammates on my team. Why wouldn’t I?” she said. “That’s the goal.”
Introducing your 2025 @ATT WNBA All-Star Captains
Representing the EAST: Caitlin Clark | @IndianaFever
Representing the WEST: Napheesa Collier | @Minnesotalynx pic.twitter.com/9lQe0B94BR
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 29, 2025
And those teammates couldn’t be more thrilled. Fellow guard Lexie Hull reshared the Fever’s announcement of Clark’s captaincy on her Instagram story. She dubbed it with a simple but joyful message, “yeahhhhh cait .” However, the popularity and happiness might not be the same outside of her team, especially amongst the fans, even though they’re the ones who voted her in, literally. With the WNBA’s 50-25-25 voting system (fans, media, and players), Caitlin Clark received over 1.3 million fan votes, the most of any player this year. Yet, the online backlash tells a different story.
WNBA Fans Turning on Caitlin Clark…
Caitlin Clark got the news in the most casual way possible, mid-sip of Gatorade, when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called to say, “Caitlin, I just want to personally congratulate you on being named captain for the 2025 WNBA All-Star team”. The entire locker room erupted into cheers, yelling “bow! bow! bow!“. Clark even dropped a hint that she might play in the game against Lynx. After Cathy Engelbert wished the team luck for the commissioner’s cup, Clark fired back with a grin, saying, “Yeah, we about to get that dub, Cathy.” But that feel-good energy, positivity weren’t really there on social media.
Now, we’re all aware of Caitlin Clark’s injuries that caught everyone off guard this season. It started with a quad strain, then a groin issue. But what’s even more surprising is how the same fans who empathized with her are now using those setbacks to argue that she doesn’t deserve top honors right now. The sentiment surfaced online when one user posted on X: “She missed 7 out of 18 games this season. She is, no doubt, one of the best players in the league, but shouldn’t this be a factor!? It’s almost half of the games played so far.”
Despite the physical and mental toll Caitlin Clark has endured night after night, they aren’t willing to give her grace for the time missed. Instead, people are pushing for different names in the spotlight. One fan wrote bluntly: “Yikes No A’ja, no Stewie.” Maybe it’s an attempt for a fairer evaluation from the active audience, or it just might be a baseless narrative that’s spreading like wildfire. Because there were also people who defended her by writing: “It’s like complaining that taylor swift is headlining an all star pop concert but go off queen!.”
Fans did realize that all-star games are designed to showcase their favorite players on screen. And despite Caitlin Clark’s missed games, that’s the public’s verdict. “The performance has not been “captain” level to date. But it is an All Star game designed for the fans. So it makes sense” And it actually does because as one person said, “She got 10x more votes than any All Star ever has…the true basketball fans know she is the best player the sport has ever seen…”
However, although Caitlin Clark topped the voters’ list, the opposing captain is the one receiving all the love. Someone wrote, “Phee getting all the from Fever fans as well ! Well deserved to be an All Star Captain! Great basketball player and a great person on and off the court!” And even CC would agree to that. Just last year, during a postgame interview, Caitlin said, “She does so much for her team. There were a few times she made a few shots and I caught myself like ‘dang, can’t guard that.” That’s exactly why Phee’s daughter zoomed into the room on a tiny purple scooter to convey the news, rocking a “Mama, you’re an All-Star” tee, while Sylvia Fowles made her grand entrance right behind. “It’s really cool,” Collier said to reporters. “I went from never being a starter to captain.”
Nobody’s worried about what Caitlin Clark thinks right now, though. Rather, some fans “wonder what Geno thinks it is a disrespect to the league.” It’s a valid one to think about – after all, Geno Auriemma once said, “This kid’s on the wrong team, she’s got the wrong skill set to handle the physicality of that league, and she’s a rookie.” He totally refused to believe that Caitlin Clark was exceptional. And though Auriemma might have come around now, the fans are turning on her.
So stay tuned… because in today’s W, the conversation never stands still.
The post WNBA Fans Make A 180 As They Turn On Caitlin Clark After Voting Her To All-Star Captaincy appeared first on EssentiallySports.