Fans Outraged by Indiana Fever Coach’s Physical Treatment of Aliyah Boston

Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides is under an immense amount of scrutiny following her team’s 0-4 start to the 2024 WNBA season. A team with back-to-back No. 1 picks in Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark shouldn’t be struggling like they are.

Sides, as a result, is under a ton of pressure. The 47-year-old head coach appears out of her element and has been out-coached by her opponents through four games.

To make matters worse for Sides, she’s facing backlash for her physical treatment of Boston during the Fever’s 88-84 loss to the Connecticut Sun Monday night.

Sides was calling on Boston, who was on the bench, to enter the game. Boston wasn’t paying attention, so Sides grabbed her arm and then shoved her to the scorer’s table.

Those who’ve played sports understand this is a pretty common situation. If an athlete isn’t paying attention, a coach will often gain attention through physical methods. But those unfamiliar with coaching believe Sides might’ve taken things too far.

You be the judge:

Fans have varied opinions about Sides’ methods with her players. Did she cross the line?

Maybe Aliyah Boston should take it as a compliment that Christie Sides threw her back into the game like that. It shows how important of a player she is.

But maybe Sides should use a different method to get her players off the bench and into the game.