Episode 21 | Caitlin Clark's Back Is a Red Flag, Montreal Wins the Walter Cup, Utah Stays Unbeaten

Caitlin Clark missed a game this week with a reported back injury, and the Fever's "strategic management" framing — announced less than two hours before tip — raised more questions than it answered. We dig into what it means for her, for the league, and for fans who bought tickets expecting to see her play.Also this week: Montreal Victoire made PWHL history, becoming the first Canadian team to win the Walter Cup. They closed out Ottawa in four games, with Ann-Renée Desbiens posting a shutout, Abby Roque scoring twice in the clincher (including one that deserves a replay or five), and Marie-Philip Poulin finally adding the one award missing from her trophy cabinet: Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP. The Ottawa Charge crowd showed out all series long, with over 53,000 fans through the doors of Canadian Tire Center and a record finals crowd of nearly 17,000.This week we dig into:Caitlin Clark injury and WNBA load management: the timeline, the Fever's communication, whether this is a one-off or something more persistent, and what it means for fans and the leaguePWHL Walter Cup recap: Victoire over the Charge in four, Abby Roque's two-goal performance, Ann-Renée Desbiens' shutout, MPP's long-overdue playoff MVP, and a tribute to the Ottawa fanbase that showed up even down 4-0 in the clincherPWHL expansion and coaching shake-up: all four expansion teams have their GMs, five of twelve head coaching jobs are now open, and Troy Ryan moves to San Jose as both GM and head coachWNBA ups and downs: Kelsey Plum drops 38 on 70%+ shooting against her former Aces, Natasha Howard is quietly one of the best stories of the early season for the Lynx, Azzi Fudd breaks the rookie record for threes in a quarter, and Rickea Jackson's ACL tear is confirmed as season-ending for ChicagoNWSL week 9: Utah Royals extend their unbeaten run to nine games, Mal Swanson scores her first goal back from parental leave to lift Chicago off the basement, and Washington Spirit and Gotham FC both fall to Liga MX Femenil sides in the CONCACAF W ChampionshipFollow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage.Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comSubstack: substack.com/@raisingthegamepodcastEmail: [email protected]