“Renee’s heart is filled with hate”

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will face the Atlanta Dream at the State Farm Arena on May 22. The game was initially scheduled at Gateway Center Arena, which seats 3,500 people. The Dream will now get to sell 13,388 tickets, with the State Farm Arena seating 16,888 fans.

It’s been a common trend this season from rival teams for games against Clark’s Fever. The former Iowa icon was the main draw last season, and key to the various viewership and attendance records the league broke in 2024. Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky also moved their two home games against the Fever to the United Center, which seats 13,133 more fans than the Wintrust Arena.

While Clark is arguably the key reason for these scheduling changes, Atlanta Dream’s owner, Larry Gottesdiener, claimed that the game was moved to a bigger arena because of a “scheduling conflict.”

Caitlin Clark’s supporters were outraged at this reasoning from the Dream owner as they felt he snubbed the Fever superstar of her due credit for increasing ticket sales for his team.

One fan called out one of the Dream’s other owner and former WNBA star, Renee Montgomery, saying:

“Renee’s heart is filled with hate”

Another tweeted:

One fan posted:

One fan said:

“The conflict was that the Atlanta Dream can make 5 times as much money with people coming to see Caitlin Clark.”

Another wrote:

“The WNBA cuts off their nose to spite their face. They don’t want success, they’re enjoying the handouts from the NBA.”

One fan said:

“Why these idiots don’t come out and embrace Clark is baffling. They hate the ONLY marketable player their league has ever had”

Renee Montgomery once ripped into Caitlin Clark’s alleged fans for ‘racist’ comments

Caitlin Clark’s rookie season was overshadowed by the negative comments from a section of her alleged fans. While the Rookie of the Year has taken a stance against it, rival players and owners didn’t miss the chance to bring her name into the conversation by associating her with these fans.

However, Atlanta Dream co-owner and Vice President Renee Montgomery bluntly called out a section of “Clark’s fans” last season. Here’s what Montgomery said (via Indy Star):

“Besides the bots, I don’t even think some of (Clark’s) faux fans actually even watch her games. And it doesn’t even seem like it’s about Caitlin anymore, the stans. Like, it doesn’t even seem like they care what goes on in the basketball aspect. They’re just there on social media, ready to fight, OK?”

Montgomery ensured she didn’t categorize all of Clark’s fans, saying:

“Y’all are straight, like (I) love it, support your player. I’m speaking on a particular group that is motivated by hate and destruction and, if that’s not you, then this is not about you.”

Caitlin Clark condoned this behavior and claimed she benefited from “white privilege,” despite earning everything she has in her career. The Fever superstar showcased that she wasn’t tone-deaf to the systematic problems black people go through in the WNBA and nationwide.

Edited by Arhaan Raje