A group of Republican members of Congress has written to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, demanding answers over what they describe as the league's failure to protect its star player, Caitlin Clark, from excessive physical play. The letter matters because it escalates long-running criticism of WNBA officiating from the sporting arena to Capitol Hill, and comes just days after Clark herself publicly urged the league to do more to safeguard its players.

The letter was led by Representative August Pfluger, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, and co-signed by a dozen lawmakers, including some from Clark's home state of Indiana. It praises Clark as a transformative figure who has boosted television ratings, fan interest and corporate sponsorship, before criticising the league for tolerating what it calls "unnecessary physical hostility and violence". The lawmakers cited specific incidents in which Clark was allegedly hip-checked, poked in the eye and struck in the throat, the last referring to her Indiana Fever's 24 June game against the Phoenix Mercury, and argued that officials have repeatedly failed to hold players accountable.