Think the WNBA is too physical? It’s always been that way for the Phoenix Mercury

Look around the Phoenix Mercury’s lineup and you’ll see the battle wounds.

Concussions, black eyes, sprained ankles. All in the name of the competitiveness that comes with the WNBA.

But these battle wounds have been a constant for the Mercury throughout their history and are commonplace around the league.

However, with Caitlin Clark’s skyrocketing popularity — and her subsequent growing pains — people are turning an increased focus toward this aspect of the WNBA.

The replays and outcry are commonplace on social media sites such as X, Instagram and TikTok, showing Clark getting hit by various players. Whether they see a hard foul to Clark’s head or a hip-check before an inbound pass, fans and sports analysts have called for the WNBA to protect its players from hard contact.

WNBA’s history of physicality

Since the league began 28 years ago, the players have not spared anyone from contact.

It used to be worse.

Not only did players have to be skilled, but they had to be the strongest at their position to stop quicker players from running into their lane.

“It’s a lot of new eyes and with that, you just have to educate yourself,” Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham said. “It’s funny, we go back and Diana (Taurasi) and people a little bit younger than her, they go back and are like, ‘We were getting abused. There’s no call there.’

Mercury players never shying from contact

“With some of the contact, a lot of people flop, too, but I will say it’s very physical and that’s what this league is known for. People haven’t been in it, you don’t know what you don’t know. Once you’re in it, you realize you need to get stronger, you need to bulk up. Otherwise, you’re going to be thrown around like a rag doll.”

This season alone, the Mercury have dealt with hard fouls and contact. A tipping point in a loss against the Las Vegas Aces on June 14 came when Aces guard Jackie Young drove hard into Mercury wing Kahleah Copper and Copper didn’t get a call. Copper was even on the other side of a battle when she hit Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith in the face and gave her a bloody lip.

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“Everyone thinks that other people are getting treated extra differently, but it’s not true,” Cunningham said. “Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve had torn elbows, separated shoulder, broken finger, broken jaw. It’s always been physical, and if anything, it’s actually gotten less physical because they call more fouls.”

Throughout her six seasons with the Mercury, Cunningham has dealt with a slew of injuries that attest to her physical style of play. But those injuries haven’t slowed her from sacrificing herself on every play.

Copper’s history with the Mercury

Cunningham and now-teammate Copper weren’t strangers to their battles broadcast throughout the 2021 WNBA Finals run when Copper was on the Chicago Sky. The two wrestled on the ground when Cunningham missed a layup and Copper wrapped around Cunningham for the loose ball.

Some plays have been dangerous for the Mercury this season. Becca Allen ran into a screen from Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan on May 25 and was in concussion protocol. Last year, Shey Peddy was stretchered off the court when an accidental elbow to the back of the head knocked her unconscious.

But with 144 roster spots across the 12 teams, the WNBA is the hardest league to make in women’s basketball. And that means your style of play will have to adjust. When Cunningham was drafted by the Mercury in 2019, she was hit by that reality.

“I’ve always been a physical player and for me, I realized that I was going up against people who were 5’6” and they were stronger than I was,” Cunningham said. “It’s not about height at this point, it’s about skill level, experience, and getting your body into shape.

“I learned real fast and I did not want to be thrown like a rag doll. I made a quick adjustment. You got to get in the weight room and eat more. … You either learn quickly or you’re out of the league.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Think the WNBA is too physical? The Phoenix Mercury have always been