When Caitlin Clark missed a game on May 20, she had not appeared on the league’s mandated injury reports. After the game, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White defended the team’s decision to leave her off. Later, the league issued the Fever a warning for how they handled Clark’s absence.
“My reaction is, for what?” Stephanie White said of the warning. “We did things the right way.”
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While the Fever have grabbed the headlines for their injury report shenanigans, they are far from the only team that has come close to skirting the league’s rules, and that is becoming a problem for fans, media, opposing teams and, to the greatest extent, gamblers. As gambling companies have begun sponsoring the WNBA, teams do need to consider how injury reports can have ripple effects.
Both the Toronto Tempo and the Los Angeles Sparks had players quickly go from “probable” the day before the game to “out” an hour before tip-off. When Azzi Fudd went from probable before the team’s May 13 game to out, just an hour before the game, Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez refused to answer any questions about why Fudd wasn’t playing.
“I’m not going to get into the minute situation right on opening night. Out of an abundance of caution and her long term health, we’re keeping her out tonight,” Fernandez said.
He was then asked when Fudd aggravated her injury.
“I’m not going to discuss anything medically in regards to her, what she has done in practice, what she hasn’t done in practice. She’s a big part of this team. There’s a reason why we drafted her number one, and she’s going to have a great season for the Wings,” he said.
Some teams have also made an art out of being vague about injuries. The Chicago Sky simply list both Courtney Vandersloot and Rickea Jackson out with “knee injuries” despite the fact we know both women have torn their ACLs.
When Gabriela Jaquez, the team’s first-round draft pick, began missing games also for a knee injury, her sudden appearance on the injury report obviously prompted concern since her listing was no different than Vandersloot or Jackson’s.
This season, the WNBA switched its reporting system to be more in line with the NBA’s. Injury reports aren’t just sent to the media, but are available to the public on the league’s website. The previously mentioned issues all follow the letter of the league’s injury reporting rules, but not the spirit.
Perhaps to a more casual fan, a kerfuffle around a player’s injury report might not seem all that important. But considering the growth of the game, it is important to dive deeper into why injury reports need to be public and transparent.
A part of it is for fair play reasons. Teams need to know who they are playing for their preparation. It’s also important for fans to know if the player they have been looking forward to seeing is healthy and expected to play.
But the biggest part of it is that injury reports affect gambling, and gambling has become a very big business for the WNBA.
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Brad Evans is the host of Audacy’s nightly show with BetMGM, and says he’s seen the impact an injury report can have on how a game is wagered on.
“Injury reports are everything, especially when it’s tied to superstar players that are going to have a great impact on a particular outcome,” Evans said in an interview. “Use Caitlin Clark as an example, considering her shot percentage, considering how much value she brings the team on a points per game basis as a distributor, just kind of an all-around threat, If you get news that she’s out, whether it’s hours in advance, the day of, maybe it’s like an hour before tip, even that’s impactful, and it greatly sways. It’s almost like a seismic effect on the spread when a superstar player is indeed out.”
Evans said both gamblers and sportsbooks need transparent information to be able to participate in fair bets.
“For the commoner who’s wagering on any of this stuff, you want the most ironclad information as possible, so you ought to make the best decision,” Evans said. “The sportsbooks, too! They weigh all that as well. They want to be able to set the best line possible, because in the grand scheme everybody wants to make money.”
This includes the league and its teams who have deals with gaming companies. Since the landmark 2018 Supreme Court ruling opened the door for legalized sports gambling in every state, gaming companies started to see the potential in the WNBA.
The league and individual teams have several gambling-based partnerships. The WNBA has two: DraftKings is the official betting partner of the WNBA, with access to league data. FanDuel is the official odds provider for the league.
The Fever and Sky each have a sponsorship for Bet365. BetMGM is a sponsor for the Washington Mystics, while Bally’s is the official betting partner for the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever, along with the Toronto Tempo, partner with FanDuel.
Two teams even play their games inside casinos. The Las Vegas Aces play most of their games at Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip, while the Connecticut Sun play at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.
Gambling has become part of the WNBA’s growth and women’s sports growth overall. Like it or not, if teams are going to take sponsorship money from these gambling companies, then they need to consider the gamblers when making injury reports.
This week in women’s basketball
Cameron Ruby brings you to the scene of the Sparks’ 30th season celebration
Deyscha Smith was live from Connecticut for Marina Mabrey’s return as a Tempo
It was a busy week for Caitlin Clark, including the launch of her new shoe
Don’t miss Jenn Hatfield on the Mystics’ young stars
Five at The IX: Stephanie White, Indiana Fever
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
