Author floats 'fascinating' possibility of Caitlin Clark being focal point of breakaway basketball league

Emmanuel Acho reacts to the growing concern around how the WNBA is handling Caitlin Clark. From intense physical play to mounting injuries, Acho questions whether the league is pushing her too far.

Caitlin Clark’s popularity is the highest it’s even been, and the second-year Indiana Fever player will only have more eyes on her as she continues to build out her legacy in the WNBA.

The rise in fame has come with some hard licks on the court. Clark was in plenty of skirmishes during her rookie season, taking bumps on shots and being on the receiving end on hard screens. So much so that she admitted to a busted eardrum and had a black eye at one point. This season, Clark was already knocked down in brouhahas with opponents.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, #22, looks around the defense of Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, #5, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Clark fans have suggested that the lack of protection for the Fever sharpshooter could lead her toward building her own professional basketball league. Christine Brennan, the author of "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports," talked about the potential of that happening in an interview on ESPN Los Angeles last week.

"Nike loves her. She’s got Wilson, obviously. She’s got Gatorade," she said, via the New York Post. "Even though the salary’s $76,000 for a rookie — it’s more this year now — she’s making $28 million from Nike alone, according to the Wall Street Journal. So she’s at $40 million, whatever. OK, fine, she’s doing great. And if Nike said, ‘We’re going to make the Nike-Clark league,’ it would