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Cari Champion eviscerates the ‘entitlement’ from Caitlin Clark in WNBA: ‘I don’t like you’

Nypost · · 415 words · By Thomas Gamba-Ellis
Referee Bias Caitlin Clark's Professionalism WNBA League Governance
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What to know about Referee Bias

Longtime sports commentator Cari Champion does not like what she sees regarding WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Longtime sports commentator Cari Champion does not like what she sees regarding WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.

Why it matters

During Wednesday’s episode of her “Flagrant & Funny” podcast, Champion blasted Clark’s “entitlement,” saying how she does not like how the 24-year-old behaves on the court.

Common ground

“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘I don’t like you.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/sports/cari-champion-eviscerates-the-entitlement-f…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
report Misleading 1
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “During Wednesday’s episode of her “Flagrant & Funny” podcast, Champion blasted Clark’s “entitlement,” saying how she does not like how the 24-year-old behaves on the court.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results from May 28, 2026, confirm that Cari Champion criticized Caitlin Clark's on-court behavior and 'entitlement' during an appearance on the 'Flagrant and Funny' podcast.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Timothy James Walz (born April 6, 1964) is an American politician, former educator, and Army National Guard veteran serving since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. From 2007 to 2019, he was a m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Walz
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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · ” The comments came during Champion's appearance on the Flagrant and Funny ... criticizing Caitlin Clark's behavior on the court. However ...
https://www.facebook.com/gibsaturnino/posts/cari-champion-gi…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · During the podcast appearance, Champion took issue with some of Clark's on-court behavior, offering criticism that quickly spread across social ...
https://www.thebiglead.com/cari-champion-rips-wnba-superstar…
+ 1 more evidence source
report
Claim 2: “Clark has shown significant growth on the court during her third WNBA season thus far, averaging 23.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists through five games.”
MISLEADING
While a web search result from May 23, 2026, confirms the stats (23.8 PPG, 9.0 APG) through five games, the claim describes this as her 'third WNBA season'. Evidence from Wikipedia and other sources confirms she entered the league in 2024, meaning 2026 would be her third season, but the stats provided are for the current season's start, not a cumulative growth metric across three years.
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web search NEUTRAL — May 23, 2026 ... Through five games this season, Clark is averaging 23.8 points per game, which ranks third in the WNBA, along with a league-leading 9.0 assists ...
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caitlin-clark-makes-wnba-h…
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web search NEUTRAL — Caitlin Clark ; G. 10. 63 ; PTS. 18.7. 18.6 ; TRB. 4.5. 5.3 ; AST. 7.9. 8.4.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/c/clarkca0…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 17, 2026 ... Caitlin Clark stuffed the stat sheet in the Fever's first home win Clark finished with 21 PTS, 10 AST and 7 REB while recording the 12th game ...
https://www.facebook.com/wnba/videos/caitlin-clark-stuffed-t…
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Claim 3: “Champion also pointed to what she calls “blatant favoritism” that Clark receives from referees around the league.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm Cari Champion specifically mentioned 'blatant favoritism' from WNBA referees toward Caitlin Clark.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable present and former faculty, staff, and students of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Californ…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tyrese John Haliburton (born February 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed Hali and "the Haliban", he…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrese_Haliburton
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Clark–Reese rivalry or Reese–Clark rivalry is a media-based rivalry between basketball players Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, which, for pundits and fans, began in the 2023 NCAA championship game …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark–Reese_rivalry
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Throughout her podcast, Champion referenced multiple controversies surrounding Clark, including one incident last season where the Fever guard went viral for telling a ref to open their eyes.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web results discuss Clark's interactions with referees and her 'antics', none of the provided evidence specifically confirms a viral incident where she told a referee to 'open their eyes'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Caitlin Clark speaks to a different referee during Tuesday’s game. Getty Images. White noted during her postgame presser that Clark faces physicality that others rarely encounter.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/caitlin-clark-held-back-hea…
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web search NEUTRAL — I once openly cheered as Clark raced down the court, dribbled behind her back, skated past a helpless defender, and drained a three-pointer. Now I cringe as she bricks the trey and immediately complai…
https://dnyuz.com/2026/06/07/whiny-caitlin-clarks-tired-anti…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aliyah Boston had 19 points and seven rebounds and Caitlin Clark tallied 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Fever (5-4), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Clark registered 10 poin…
https://www.indianapolisnews.net/news/279103353/kelsey-mitch…
verified
Claim 5: “Champion argued that Clark gets a pass in how the WNBA has treated her since entering the league in 2024.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web results confirm Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA in 2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Caitlin Elizabeth Clark (born January 22, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Regarded as one of the greate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Caitlin Clark effect is the increase in popularity of women's basketball attributed to American basketball player Caitlin Clark. During Clark's collegiate career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, she drew u…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark_effect
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page details the records, statistics, and career achievements of American professional basketball player, Caitlin Clark.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 6: “Additionally, Champion pointed to Clark being dismissive of her late scratch for a game earlier this month, in which the WNBA issued a warning for breaking injury reporting rules.”
CORROBORATED
Fox News and other web search results confirm the WNBA issued a warning to the Indiana Fever for failing to report Caitlin Clark's injury before she became a late scratch.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Caitlin Elizabeth Clark (born January 22, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Regarded as one of the greate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Caitlin Clark effect is the increase in popularity of women's basketball attributed to American basketball player Caitlin Clark. During Clark's collegiate career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, she drew u…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark_effect
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page details the records, statistics, and career achievements of American professional basketball player, Caitlin Clark.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Champion compared this to a recent technical foul that was issued to Wings star Paige Bueckers, which appeared to be called because she clapped.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (ESPN and other web results) confirm that Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings received a technical foul for 'clapping aggressively', which was subsequently rescinded.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Dallas Wings season was the franchise's 28th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, the 10th season for the franchise in Dallas - after relocating from Tulsa and Detroit, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Dallas_Wings_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Wings compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Weste…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Wings
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paige Madison Bueckers ( BEK-ərz; born October 20, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Breeze of Unri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paige_Bueckers
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.