6 ways ESPN addressed the WNBA Caitlin Clark hard foul controversy on Monday
On Monday, ESPN's various programs got their chance to discuss the hard foul Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark took from Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter over the weekend.
The results were mixed. While the network featured some insightful discussions on the topic, you also had The Pat McAfee Show dissolving into chaos and Stephen A. Smith getting flustered on First Take.
We've rounded up six examples of how the network dealt with the Clark/Carter situation, which shows the best and the worst of what ESPN can do in covering such a lightning rod of a sports story like this.
First Take sparked controversy between Stephen A. Smith and Monica McNutt
McNutt told Smith on First Take that the program could've done more to cover the WNBA in the past few years, which left him nearly speechless in the moment and put him on the defense later.
Pat McAfee embarrassed himself by insulting Caitlin Clark while defending her
McAfee put on clown makeup as he somehow called Clark a derogatory term (allegedly on accident) while defending her as the WNBA's singular star. He later apologized for his remark.
Kendrick Perkins pushed back on some of his ESPN colleagues over the Clark/WNBA "pettiness" debate
Perkins wasn't afraid to push back on notable people like Charles Barkley, LeBron James, Shannon Sharpe, Smith and McAfee on the way the Clark/WNBA "pettiness" conversation has gone.
Chiney Ogwumike shared a thoughtful "State of the Union" on the WNBA
Former WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike delivered a passionate response to the Clark/WNBA discourse on an ESPN "State of the Union." It was a very thought-provoking segment.
Rebecca Lobo pushed back on the idea the WNBA players hate Clark
Lobo, who has called Clark's games in college and the pros, gave a convincing argument to why that whole "the WNBA vets don't like her" argument is silly.
Around the Horn featured a spirited discussion on the ordeal
You know this is a controversial topic when Around the Horn gets this fired up.