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Calls are intensifying for WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark to go it alone and create her own league, after multiple TV analysts opened up on rival players' 'jealousy' of her.
Clark was voted the league's ninth-best guard by her peers last week, which led to outrage in the media, who claimed she should start a breakaway league to prove how necessary she has been to the rise in popularity of the WNBA.
Now, a week on, the 'jealousy' of the rest of the league has been laid bare by basketball icon Dick Vitale and others.
Speaking to Front Office Sports, the legendary announcer - nicknamed Dickie V - said: 'I feel strongly that various players don't give Caitlin Clark the respect she deserves.
'What she has done to help the WNBA has been unbelievable. Think about it. PR excitement. Ticket sales. TV ratings and interest. Salary increases. More charter flights than the past. Plus, she is so exciting to watch. Lots of jealousy!'
Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd backed up Vitale's point with his own comments on air, claiming the voting of rival players showed their 'pettiness has no bounds'.
Caitlin Clark is facing increased calls to quit the WNBA and start her own breakaway league
Clark made a plea to the WNBA commissioner about WNBA players' pay on a recent live stream
'For years, the WNBA players were pointing fingers,' he began. 'They were saying, "People are sexist, the media is sexist, we’re not being promoted, we’re underappreciated."
'And then they get the Golden Goose and they don’t like what it looks like. I've said this for years — when the wave hits, ride it. You don’t know what it looks like, don’t fight it.'
Outkick's Clay Travis, meanwhile, has led calls for Clark to quit the WNBA and start her own rival league, claiming she is 'worth more than the entire WNBA'.
'It's a no-brainer,' he claimed in a recent article on his website.
Clark is currently injured and TV viewing figures are often down up to 40% without her
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert would have a huge problem on her hands if Clark quits
Legendary ESPN voice Dick Vitale has opened up on WNBA players' jealousy of Clark
On various occasions this season, Clark has been sidelined with injury and TV viewership has plummeted in her absence, sometimes down by as much as 40%.
The Indiana Fever won the Commissioner's Cup earlier this month and during the celebrations, Clark hinted at some unhappiness with the salaries paid to the players.
On a live stream recorded by her teammate Sydney Colson, Clark could be heard making a plea to commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
'We get more for [winning the Commissioner's Cup] than you do if you're a [WNBA] champion,' she said.
'Makes no sense! Someone tell Cathy to help us out. Cathy, help us out!'
