The post Award-Winning Journalist Vows to Act on ‘Hate’ From Fever Supporter in New Statement on Caitlin Clark appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The sentiment around the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark’s landmark WNBA broadcasting feat isn’t all comfortable and quiet. Right after it was announced, a veteran journalist called it out, stating, “They ain’t won shit, but will be viewed the most on television by y’all.” The statement alone sparked a massive stir in the community, prompting the journalist to release another statement amid hate from Fever fans.
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Yes, the individual in question is an award-winning journalist, Dawn Montgomery. From an overall perspective, her sentiments about Clark and Fever’s broadcasting privilege of having all 44 of their games nationally televised haven’t been well-received by fans. One of the Fever’s fans pinpointed her, lashing out in a seemingly Instagram comment while establishing that the WNBA’s viewership ratings had been poor before CC’s arrival.
In reply, Montgomery shared a tweet to school the fan while making her stance clear that Clark isn’t the face of the league. “If you have to say something about what I TWEET HERE then keep it here,” Montgomery wrote. “Don’t come to my other pages starting shit. This is absolutely ridiculous & I’ve got my IT guy tracking this person down for what they also sent me via DM. Also yall she ain’t the face of the WNBA.”
Now, it’s quite clear that any form of cyber harassment shouldn’t have any place in the basketball domain. If the conversation escalated to the point where Montgomery was well within her rights to take the measures.
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Right after she tweeted, Fever fans clearly pointed out that it stems from her hatred of CC. After all, Clark is largely the epicenter, and the WNBA’s broadcasting bet revolves mostly around her. And for context, it’s not just her popularity that has made it happen; her numbers back it up as well. In her rookie year, the WNBA had 21 games with broadcast numbers exceeding 1M.
Clark was part of the 19 games among them. Additionally, the games’ average viewership was staggering at 1.2M. It’s a figure that was more of a fable before her arrival in the W. Even in an injury-laden season last year, Clark’s impact on viewership was clearly felt. The WNBA All-Star game drew around 3.44M in 2024. On the other hand, it pulled in just 2.2M last year without the Fever’s franchise star.
Returning to Montgomery’s comment on whether Clark is the face of the W, that’s pretty subjective. But all of these numbers clearly add weight to what Clark means to the league’s viewership and businesses. This also underlines why the W is betting on her and the Indiana Fever.
But, of course, Dawn Montgomery isn’t quite on board with the decision because she feels that CC hasn’t won anything. In that regard, a two-year span in the WNBA will be unfair to Clark in determining her success. Secondly, Clark might not have won a team championship. But she has been a serial winner, taking home the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and individual awards like WNBA Rookie of the Year.
2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament – USA Women s national team, Nationalteam V Senegal Caitlin Clark plays during the game at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament between USA and Senegal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 11, 2026, at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. San Juan Puerto Rico PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEdgardoxMedinax originalFilename:medinamillan-notitle260311_npWso.jpg
Thus, none of it adds up perfectly in Montgomery’s favor, prompting an outburst from the fans. But the veteran journalist’s twisted equation with Caitlin Clark isn’t something new. Even last year, when the Indiana Fever’s games accounted for nearly 40% of all WNBA games broadcast on national television, Montgomery echoed the same sentiment. She even went to the extent of saying that CC hasn’t achieved anything besides being white.
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“This makes absolutely no sense. And I swear they’re putting all this money into that girl who ain’t done s*** but be white,” Montgomery had shared in her post. “I’m sick of this and Cathy. I don’t care if I don’t ever get invited to WNBA-related events or games anymore. Enough is a damn enough.”
While Dawn Montgomery continues her viral rant against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, several top-notch basketball insiders have showcased their support for the WNBA’s decision.
Analyst All In For Move to Broadcast All of Caitlin Clark and Fever’s Games on National Television
Amid the controversy over Montgomery, basketball analyst Robin Lundberg has shared his two cents. Lundberg made a perfect case, backed by a clear business perspective, for why the Fever got the most nationally televised games (44, followed by Dallas Wings 36, New York Liberty 35, and Las Vegas Aces 33).
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“There’s no way anybody’s actually about this; it cannot be possible,” Lundberg said. “TV networks prioritize viewership. TV Networks are putting the Indiana Fever on because the Fever gets the most viewers. Games with Caitlin Clark get most viewers than any other games.
“Games of Fever, even when Clark didn’t play, get more viewers than any other games. Every other game gets more viewers than it had before. So the numbers are up across the board. But just like in any TV business, the highest rated product commodity gets the most national TV slots,” he added.
Lundberg’s assessment is quite spot on. When it comes to business, especially in terms of broadcasting viewership, every major sporting league gives an extra edge to the star-studded teams that have actually delivered the numbers. For instance, in the 2024-25 NBA season, LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the most viewed players.
Thus, the league didn’t hesitate to give both the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors an equal share of 34 nationally televised games in the 2025-26 season. And when it’s taken into perspective, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s equation in the WNBA makes even more sense. Clark and the Fever will tip off the first of the 44-game schedule on May 9 (Saturday). They will play the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and will be broadcast on ABC.
