Good Morning America stars Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan got viewers’ attention with their latest remarks.
The co-anchors often share their thoughts on hot topics, and another segment featured them seeming to take different sides, with their colleague George Stephanopoulos staying out of it.
GMA’s recent episode included a story about basketball star Caitlin Clark, who rose to fame in college with Iowa as she broke the record for total points scored during a men’s or women’s NCAA Division I career.
She’s since become the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick for the Indiana Fever and is playing at the next level.
With her popularity and headline-making success, she’s also become a target as opposing players welcome her to the league.
GMA presented a story that included footage of a recent foul committed by Clark’s opponent, Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky, which was a hot topic amongst the GMA hosts and viewers.
Robin mentioned a ‘rough night’ for Clark, as Strahan called it a ‘cheap shot’ play
When it comes to sports, both Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts have experience playing and covering games. Michael was an impressive defensive presence on the football field, becoming a Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer with the New York Giants.
Robin was a star basketball player in college, becoming one of Southeastern Louisiana University’s best all-time scorers. She later worked as a broadcaster for ESPN, covering a variety of sports. Since joining ABC, she has interviewed various star athletes, including the WNBA’s Clark and Brittney Griner.
In a segment on GMA this week, Robin mentioned how it was “a rough night for Caitlin Clark.”
“It was a game on Saturday between the Fever and the Chicago Sky that had a lot of people talking. Fans were so hyped to have Clark, Angel Reese, and Camila Cardosa all back on the same court,” Robin said as she sent it to Eva Pilgrim for the story.
GMA showed footage of Carter’s hard foul on Clark, which knocked her to the ground. During the game, one of the TV commentators mentioned they were surprised the referees only called a “common foul” and nothing more.
“Just respond, let your play do the talking. It is what it is,” Clark said during her post-game remarks.
Part of the GMA story mentioned how veteran players in a sports league often “send a message” to high-profile rookies who attract a lot of attention. Another clip showed fellow rookie Angel Reese getting knocked to the court and the opposing player getting ejected for the foul.
“It’s a physical game. It’s the pro level,” Robin said after Eva finished her story by telling the GMA anchors, “lots of pushing going on.”
“But that was unnecessary. That was a cheap shot,” Strahan added.
“It was a cheap shot,” Robin said as she got animated, adding, “But I loved- many people appreciate how Caitlin responded to it.”
“She wasn’t whining about it. The public seemed to have more of an issue with it than the players,” Robin said.
She also asked Michael “what was it like” for him as an NFL rookie. However, he jokingly declined to share what players said or did to him in the league live on GMA.
WNBA reviewed and changed Carter’s foul on Clark
After the game, the WNBA reviewed Carter’s foul on Clark and upgraded it to a Flagrant 1 foul, which the league defines as “unnecessary and/or excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.”
When referees call a Flagrant 1 during a game, the fouled player receives two free throws, and their team gets possession of the ball.
Two flagrant fouls against a player in the same game result in that player getting ejected.
In Carter’s situation, the WNBA upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after the game. With flagrants, the league tracks points for every flagrant foul called against a player during the season. A player receives a suspension for a game after accumulating a certain number of those points.
GMA viewers sounded off after Robin and Michael’s remarks about ‘cheap shot’
GMA viewers had plenty to say about the “cheap shot” discussion, including many agreeing it was an unnecessary play.
However, multiple commenters on Instagram called out Robin for her take on the topic.
“Robin.. come on… if it were the other way around!” a commenter wrote, suggesting Robin would have a different opinion if Clark had flagrantly fouled Carter instead.
“If it were anyone else she would be making comments how it was unfair. This is so one-sided and it’s very evident that she’s a target,” another comment wrote.
“No But! It was cheap. It was a flagrant foul. It was in no way a basketball move. Robin’s rhetoric around this is confusing,” a commenter said.
Additional commenters said, “Robin go home,” or asked, “what would be the response if roles were reversed!”
“Everyone’s talking about women’s basketball,” Eva mentioned at the end of her GMA story.
The hot topic certainly brought much attention to the WNBA as Clark’s journey at the next level continues.