Caitlin Clark stalking incident is latest reminder of why WNBA needs to further prioritize player safety

Clark, the Indiana Fever standout guard, is the latest basketball star to be subject to harassment and stalking.

On Sunday, a 55-year-old man was arrested on a felony stalking charge after allegedly sending repeated sexually violent messages to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. The man, a Texas resident named Michael Lewis, reportedly traveled to Indianapolis in an attempt to see her, and is alleged to have sent disturbing messages that were threatening in nature.

On social media, Lewis revealed he was in Indianapolis, allegedly posting on X, per BBC: “@CaitlinClark22 been driving around your house 3x a day..but don’t call the law just yet, the publc is allowed to drive by gainbridge..aka Caitlin’s Fieldhouse.” He also stated he would purchase tickets to Butler basketball games, which Clark frequently attends.

The messages were concerning enough to Clark that she “altered her public appearances and patterns of movement due to fear for her safety,” according to charging documents released by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office obtained by NPR.

On Jan. 8, police confronted Lewis, who was reportedly at a hotel a mile from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but he is reported to have downplayed his messages and claimed to only be in Indianapolis on vacation. Despite police warning Lewis about the posts, he quickly resumed his tagging of Clark from his X account.

Lewis’s felony charge, formally known as “criminal stalking” carries a prison sentence of up to 6 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000, per ESPN. Stalking behaviors can include repeated calls, text messages, emails or posts via social media, following the victim or showing up near where they live or work, and threatening to hurt the victim or people they care about — much of which Lewis allegedly did.

On Tuesday, Lewis was ordered held on $50,000 bail, and was ordered to stay away from Indianapolis basketball arenas. Lewis is due back in court on March 31 for pre-trial hearing, per ESPN.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears credited Clark for coming forward with the messages, per ESPN.

“It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t,” said Mears. “In doing so, the victim is setting an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence.”

Clark is the latest basketball star to deal with stalking and harassment

In September, a 40-year-old man was arrested for stalking UConn star Paige Bueckers. That man, Robert Cole Parmalee of Grants Pass, Oregon, ultimately received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation. He’s also barred from the state of Connecticut from three years, in addition to any arena or facility where Bueckers’ team is — and all WNBA arenas.

Previously, Parmalee told police that he was traveling to Connecticut to propose to Bueckers and get her expelled from UConn, per ESPN. His social media accounts were also largely composed of messages about Beuckers, including a post with a fake wedding invitation.

The similarities between the two cases are striking. In both cases, players were allegedly targeted by stalkers from across the country who developed a form of romantic obsession with them, and leveraged social media to harass them.

Both stars have helped elevate women’s basketball, with Clark dramatically elevating the visibility WNBA this past season and Bueckers emerging as one of the biggest names in college basketball. These incidents have highlighted the dark side of that fame, a pernicious reality that both Clark and Bueckers have privately had to deal with.

The importance of prioritizing WNBA player safety

As women’s basketball continues to explode in popularity, prioritizing the safety of high-profile athletes should come before anything else. This past season, the WNBA implemented full-time charter flights as one way to help enhance the safety of athletes.

Prior to the implementation of charter flights, Clark and her teammates were followed at the DFW Airport when the Fever were in Dallas for preseason action, shining light on the importance of adding additional safety measures. That came nearly a year after Brittney Griner was harassed at the same airport.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert during the WNBA Finals that the league plans on meeting with technology providers, developing mental health resources, and exploring other interventions to combat hate and harassment players face.

“We will meet with the Players Association, the players, teams, we will work together to expand and enhance our efforts, and are going to approach this multi-dimensionally, utilizing technology, prioritizing mental health, reinforcing physical security and increasing monitoring,” Engelbert said. “We know there’s more work to be done, and as a league, we are fully committed to listening to the players and other stakeholders on this and other important issues.”

How the league can utilize technology to prevent and mitigate the threat of stalkers remains to be seen, but as evidenced by the recent incident Clark faced, the threat is real and should be prioritized.

While this case was brought to light due to court documents being made public, it’s entirely possible Clark has faced other threatening incidents we don’t know about, given how much her visibility has skyrocketed in recent years. The same could go for a multitude of other women’s basketball stars.

And, while both men and women can be victims of stalking, studies show that women are nearly three times as likely to be a victim of stalking in their lifetimes. An estimated 15.2% of women and 5.7% of men have been a victim of stalking during their lifetimes, per a 2011 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in the background of stalking incidents is the reality that women are much more likely to face other forms of violent crimes — for example, 19.3% of women (compared to 1.7% of men) have reported that they’ve been raped during their lifetime, per the CDC.

The gendered nature of crimes like stalking and sexual violence highlights why extra protections have to be extended to women athletes. And, while charter flights were a good start — and likely enhanced the safety of WNBA players this past season — ensuring that athletes have sufficient security and legal assistance moving forward is of the utmost importance, and should continue to be a major priority for the league as it continues to grow.