Caitlin-mania has a price

 By now, everyone has heard about the shoulder block heard 'round the world.

On Saturday, after making a basket, Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter decided to throw a shoulder block at Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Carter. 

RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE!!!

While it was called as a simple foul away from the ball on the court, officials made a decision post-game to upgrade it to a flagrant foul. Carter's post-game remarks didn't exactly endear her to the rest of the league, but, then, considering that she'd already burned her bridges in 2 WNBA cities and in Turkey with her excessive style of play, that shouldn't be a surprise.

What this also does is it gives Clark and the media a wake-up call. The media's collective OCD over Clark has made every Indiana game must-see TV for the league's media partners (ESPN/ABC), and all that extra attention hasn't hurt Clark, but the Fever didn't get off to a good start.

The View's Whoopi Goldberg saw it as just a basketball play. In most cases, it would be, but the way her bosses at Disney promote Clark like she's the Mother Theresa of basketball, it sparked outrage across the board.

The message Carter and the rest of the league have sent Clark, and, Carter's Chicago teammate, Angel Reese, for that matter, is that the hype they generated in college the last couple of seasons doesn't matter to them. Reese cheered Carter on Saturday, but you have to believe their coach had some words for them in the locker room.

To put it in perspective, the rookies in the NBA, while celebrated, don't get the same kind of media frenzy. Michael Jordan didn't when he was drafted out of North Carolina more than 40 years ago. Neither did Shaquille O'Neal, when he was drafted out of LSU (also Reese's alma mater) a decade later. LeBron James brought his hype from high school when he was drafted by Cleveland 21 years ago. Disney, ESPN/ABC's corporate parent, smells ratings every time Clark plays, so she will be the focus regardless of how well the Fever are playing. She shouldn't have to be, because that puts a bigger than normal target on her back she doesn't deserve.