Getty Whoopi Goldberg (l) and Caitlin Clark.
Whoopi Goldberg defended Chennedy Carter on “The View” in a June 3 discussion about the Chicago Sky player’s controversial flagrant foul against Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
“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.”
“This is, ‘Get out the way or I’ma move you.’ That’s what the game is. So, a lot of people, however, are reading this as confrontation. But this is not confrontation. They’re not playing on the court. They’re there to win. And just because they’re women, get over yourselves, they’re athletes.”
According to the Associated Press, the WNBA upgraded Carter’s foul to a flagrant-1 foul after reviewing the play, which showed Carter knocking Clark to the ground.
Whoopi Goldberg’s ‘View’ Co-Host Sunny Hostin Concurred, Saying, ‘It’s Not Dainty Play’
“Let’s be realistic.”
After whining about new attention being given to the WNBC because Caitlin Clark was “white” and “pretty,” The View’s Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg now defend the on-court, physical attacks she’s been receiving.
After Goldberg’s comments, her “View” co-host, Sunny Hostin, spoke up.
Hostin described the WNBA as a “contact sport.” She said she “loved” what Goldberg was saying. She said it was good people were talking about the WNBA so much lately.
“It’s not dainty play, okay. When you’re sitting there, and … you’re watching, sometimes when that happens you think, ‘Ooh, wow. I couldn’t take it,” said Hostin. “You’ve got you know a guard that’s 6 foot … you’ve got Brittany Griner 7 feet. These are the women that are playing there. They’re exceptional athletes.”
“What happened with Caitlin Clark was clearly a flagrant foul, and it got upgraded to a flagrant, which it should have. The week before, Angel Reese got hammered. Got hammered,” Hostin said, adding that the opponent was automatically ejected.
Hostin previously caused controversy when she opined that Clark’s popularity is due to white and “pretty” privilege.
For her part, Carter has made her opinion known on social media, liking posts that mock Clark and questioning what she brings to the table other than her ability to shoot three-pointers. She also liked videos that accused Clark of making contact with Carter on an earlier play.
She liked an extended video in which the person wrote, “Here’s an extended look at the Caitlin Clark – Chennedy Carter incident, there was more to it than the shoulder check and Clark was clearly talking to her on the way back up the floor from the prior basket by Indiana.”
The Indiana Fever’s GM Has Called on the WNBA to Clean Up the Game
The celebrities’ comments run counter to the opinion of Linn Dunn, the general manager for the Fever.
“There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary— targeting actions! It needs to stop! The league needs to ‘cleanup’ the crap! That’s NOT who this league is!!” Dunn wrote on her X page on June 1.
Fever coach Christie Sides wrote on X, “This is unacceptable @wnba. When will the consistent complaints be heard?!? Something has to be done!”
Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said in a statement on X, referring to Carter, “She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this, as we all will.”