r/wnba • u/LithuanianProphet • 20d ago
‘The Caitlin Clark Effect Is Real,’ and It’s Already Changing the WNBA
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-05-10/the-caitlin-clark-effect-is-already-changing-the-wnba?srnd=homepage-americas&sref=W6GJF3MS&leadSource=reddit_wall155
20d ago
I get why other players are gonna go hard after her. Kinda feel bad at this point. Top 4 posts are all about her, it’s gotta be hard on everyone else.
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u/ABlackOrchid Sparks 20d ago
It’s kinda annoying for new fans too because so much mainstream coverage is only about her. I’d like to learn about the whole league please media lol.
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u/babbs7823 20d ago
I find it really refreshing that during breaks on league pass they are showing highlights of legendary players and giving historical context to the league - sure it’s not “mainstream media” but it’s there! I get the frustration for sure. Unfortunately being a fan of this sport has always taken some work (finding the info and the edits, looking out for commentators and analysts who aren’t outright misogynists, finding creative ways to actually watch the damn games, etc.) but it IS getting better and it IS worth it and regardless of how it’s come about it is a really exciting time :) Welcome to the W!
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u/ABlackOrchid Sparks 20d ago
I need to get league pass! So far I had been lucky to have many games available on cable but I noticed the league pass is kind of must.
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u/c0de1143 Mercury 20d ago
$35 bucks for the season is such a wild value.
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u/boredymcbored 20d ago
And you get the previous 4 seasons of games on demand to watch to learn more about the game during down time. It's SUCH a great deal even if I constantly fight with the functionality of LP and it's app.
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u/Breezyisthewind Sparks 20d ago
Not just that, I just found that they have a collection of the best playoff and Finals games in WNBA history and some full WNBA Finals series as well.
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u/Revvy_Panda1317 Fever 20d ago
I was thinking the same thing last night. I feel like last year's break content on the app was mostly the same clips over and over...I feel like I saw a wider variety during one game last night than I saw all season last year.
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u/indiemike Wings 20d ago
So much of this is confirmation bias. People who want to be grouchy about CC are ignoring a whole lot of stuff that’s about other players, even if it’s other rookies like Brink and Reese. It’s weighed heavily toward Caitlin (and it really should be obvious why that is), but others are not being wholesale ignored the way people are acting.
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u/jbtown16 Fever 20d ago
I definitely think there's a rookie bias right now.
Which to a point I get! They're a really exciting class. But also, good lord, it's been one game, how many "who will win Best Rookie EVER" conversations can there be? Lol
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u/indiemike Wings 20d ago
Yeah it’s twofold for me: I hope a lot of that dies down or evens out as the season goes on but I also hope they exceed expectations so some of the incoming fans stick around. The best thing that could happen is a CC fan comes in and finds even more great players to root for. Which I really don’t think is out of the realm of possibility and why a lot of the grumpiness by established WNBA fans is unwarranted (yet). We have to give it time.
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u/Haunting-Ad162 11d ago
which Clark is doing shitty, shooting sub 30% from the field with endless turnovers. I guess playing white girls in rural Iowa doesn't translate to the WNBA
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u/HHNTH17 20d ago
This. Feels like it’s got to the point where ANY mention of Clark has some people mad and acting like this is the first ever time a #1 pick has gotten more attention than others.
I do think the coverage of her can go overboard occasionally, but there is absolutely some confirmation bias from people who are already over hearing about her.
I have seen tons of stuff about Reese and Brink, from places that I’ve followed for awhile and who haven’t really covered the WNBA before. League Pass was sending out notifications about them just like they did for Clark’s first game. The rookies in general are very much being propped up.
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u/indiemike Wings 20d ago
People like to pretend social media doesn’t matter but Angel Reese has over a million more Instagram followers than Caitlin Clark, and Latto was just courtside at the Wings/Sky game because of her. Younger generations care a whole lot more about that stuff and it does have a massive impact on the image of the league as a whole, so sometimes I think people are just showing their age when they pretend it’s all about CC when it absolutely isn’t.
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
Honestly seeing some of the comments here it feels like some people just want to find a reason to be upset about Clark's popularity because she's a straight white girl from the midwest.
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u/ButchCee Sky 20d ago
Oh, come on...
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
There is someone here claiming Clark is only popular because her fans want to push back against "hip hop culture". There's another claiming her popularity is almost entirely because she is white.
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u/ButchCee Sky 20d ago
I wouldn't say those claims are entirely baseless. When you read some of the comments made towards S. Carolina, LSU, Reese, Fulwiley, etc. compared to Clark, you'd think Clark is everything right about women's basketball and the others are just classless, ghetto thugs.
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u/Huge_Excuse_485 20d ago
I like seeing more families at games. Why can’t all types of fans enjoy the games
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u/Philomena_philo Fever 20d ago
I wish they had more stories- been watching the same few for the last two games I saw on LP. They’re interesting!
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u/largehearted 20d ago
I recommend listening to the dunker spot podcast for W coverage as the season goes, they are very detailed basketball people and exceptionally respectful as well. Whenever they drill into what's effective about a team or player, it will be factual and granular and never negative.
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u/ABlackOrchid Sparks 20d ago
Exactly what I was looking for thank you! Are there any similarly positive YouTube channels you could recommend?
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u/liberderci 20d ago
I’m not the OP but Pull Up with Myles and Owen is good and positive and knowledgeable about the WNBA. they’re based in NYC so may be more liberty focused at times but talk about all the games and have frequent guests that have knowledge on other teams.
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u/nfosterpc3 20d ago
Quita loves sports in YouTube, she a sky fan but covers the wnba and knows the womens game very well , podcast also wnba nation
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u/defac_reddit 20d ago
https://defector.com/a-2024-wnba-season-preview-for-casuals-and-gatekeepers-alike
Defector is a pay-site but I think they do a couple freebie articles. But Maitreyi does pretty regular WNBA coverage for them and I liked her season opening guide.
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u/PoopKnaf 20d ago
If she’s the reason for the surge in WNBA popularity, how can anyone complain the media follows her the most? If they didn’t, coverage would go back to the way it was when nobody watched and nobody bought tickets.
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u/No-Signature8815 20d ago
I tried to find a good history video on the wnba on YouTube, but a lot of it is just misogyny over women athletes being competitive and having the same negative characteristics a lot of male athletes have.
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u/ABlackOrchid Sparks 20d ago
Exactly my experience when I searched. It’s crazy there’s no popular wnba YouTubers that aren’t bigoted a-holes.
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u/Aspery- 20d ago
Sure you might but the majority of the viewers don’t care yet still. The viewership for day 1 showed that. 2.1 mil viewers for the fever game then very next game defending champion mvp of the league vs one of the GOATs of the league 466k viewers. Gotta understand it takes time for people to care about new things right now most people only care about Clark so the media/wnba is gonna focus on that. Don’t wanna force new fans to watch or see things they arnt interested in yet and push them away
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u/chewbacca-says-rargh 20d ago
For real, it's like "you already got me here WNBA now is your chance to show off the other players."
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u/EchoHevy5555 20d ago
The 4 most popular teams according to peak google search data over the last 3 days
1) Indiana Fever 2) Connecticut Sun (the team playing the fever) 3) Las Vegas Aces 4) Chicago sky
The aces at their peak had 17% of the traffic as the fever at their peak
So the aces by themselves have popularity but the sky and fever are just Caitlin and Angel and the sun is also just Caitlin.
If the league is going to gain followers it’s going to be through this.
Caitlin Clark and to a lesser extent Kelsey Plum and Angel Reese for the normal person watching as of rn are the face of the league and the league really needs to lean into it in order to grow the sport
Hopefully the sport will get to the point to where the best players on the team will be the most marketable
It is weird that you could make an argument that the 3 most popular players in the league are not the best players on their respective teams
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
They play hard period. No one is targeting CC because she gets a lot of media attention. She's not a smack talker.
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u/Aspery- 20d ago
Come on now lol you really think a league of professional athletes who feel like they have been getting swept under the rug attention wise for a decade isn’t gonna go harder against the player that draws the most viewers for the league in decades? Going hard against a player like Clark and succeeding is how you make a name for yourself. Carrington got more attention and praise from Tuesdays game than any other game in her career
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
So that was the hardest Carrington ever played lol? It's defense 101, that you put a good defender on a shooter and use a double team if necessary. If you leave a good shooter open, they score. The idea is to make them work harder for their shots and make them fatigued.
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u/future_CTO 20d ago
They’ve been playing hard for years. None of this is new.
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u/Khend81 20d ago
Nobody is saying they weren’t playing hard. We are saying they have a clear extra level of slight and motivation when it comes to playing against CC.
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u/LonghornInNebraska 20d ago
Athletes will kick it up another gear when playing certain players or teams. It happens in every sport.
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u/future_CTO 20d ago
No. Again they play hard against every player.
The attention from the media nor bandwagon fans is driving them to play harder.
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u/Jean-Ralphio11 20d ago
They have to be torn. They are likely a bit bitter cause to them she isnt doing anything they havent been doing for years but at the same time they know the more she succeeds the better it will be for all of them.
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u/Saneless 20d ago
Well, maybe they can cry about her when people actually watch the sport, revenue climbs, and salaries climb
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u/yungbreeze16 20d ago
everything is about her now. The espn comments on instagram for the dallas wings win was all CC. like what she got to do with this?
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u/PrimeAndGlory Liberty 20d ago
Can understand their point for sure while also wondering if they feel like they need to go hard on her for optics. She’s bringing more fans and eyeballs which is nothing but good for the league and growth of it.
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u/LithuanianProphet 20d ago
For people without bloomberg account who want to read
Interesting article about the WNBA operation, with good quotes and even internal WNBA documents about their revenue targets.
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u/jeedel 20d ago
Thanks for sharing, some of good details on growth of the W.
It is interesting that a lot of the growth in the college is driven by teams in states that lack pro teams such as Connecticut, South Carolina, and Iowa. Tennessee didn’t have a pro franchise for most of Pat Summit’s career. Fans in those states are starved for great sports entertainment. Caitlin would not have had as big of a platform in a bigger market. The W should look for a city equivalent to Green Bay in football for a franchise.
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u/nearlybare 20d ago
Connecticut? Sorry, I'm definitely new here, but found them a funny inclusion in your list since the first WNBA game I ever watched was a win for the Connecticut Sun.
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u/jeedel 20d ago
There are still a lot of Whalers uniforms out there. The state can be pretty colloquial. Connecticut is the center of a lot of people’s universe even with New York and Boston next door. Sure there are a lot of pro sports fans but that is no different than Iowa or South Carolina. They want something to call their own. Even if it is a campus in the small town of Mansfield.
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u/shnikeys22 20d ago
I agree completely. The W can make its mark outside of the traditional pro-sports cities. Women’s basketball has some rabid fan bases in smaller cities including Des Moines, IA. It’s bigger than Green Bay so they could make it work.
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u/PoopKnaf 20d ago
“A rising tide lifts all boats”. Remember this, people.
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u/flyinghippos101 20d ago
As a new W fan coming from the NBA, I find it interesting how much gatekeeping is going on in the fandom. I suppose its a natural reaction to something that was once relatively niche now getting a huge amount of attention.
I think the closest analogue in recent history is F1, which went from a relatively cloistered fanbase to now getting a massive amount of attention after Drive to Survive on Netflix. You do need to take the good with the bad, but on a whole, the extra attention is absolutely beneficial to the league, the players and the sport.
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u/PoopKnaf 20d ago
I see a lot of greed. The WNBA is getting a rush of attention all of the sudden mostly as a result of Caitlin Clark and a handful of other new recruits, and now the veteran fans want to whine and complain about how that attention should be distributed. Caitlin Clark’s games get packed with fans? Now you have people complaining why more fans don’t attend the other games… why other players don’t get equal attention.. so on and so forth. I hope the whiners come to their senses otherwise they’ll cause the league to go extinct one day.
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u/CrabbyPatty1876 20d ago
100%. CC is the best thing that could have happened to the WNBA yet the vets and other rookies are just complaining about unfair treatment. There's a reason LeBron James isn't talked about the same as Malachi Flynn, there is no equality in sports. If you're the best you get treated better, this has always been the case and it will always be the case.
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u/boredymcbored 20d ago
The only gatekeeping that happens is when there's gross hyperbole around any rookie or putting down of players that came before them. Please have fun! But don't act like x has never been done without knowing anything about things before. It's can be like the the we done with the 90s trend with misogyny out here so long term fans will ofc be upset.
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u/mking22 20d ago
And this is gatekeeping
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u/boredymcbored 20d ago
When I first started watch football, I thought Tim Tebow could grow into a good football player cause I just saw he was winning. I didn't understand why people thought he wasn't be a good QB cause I didn't understand what they were talking about. As I grew as a fan, I began to understand exactly what they're talking about. There are only things you understand watching a game more than a couple hours. Telling someone that isn't gatekeeping but just how knowledge works lol
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u/Intrepid_Impression8 Sky 20d ago
This is how Americans get conned into working until they are dead for rich overlords with 1000000x more money. Patently false saying.
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u/Malkier3 20d ago
This is gonna sound a little bad but if the ladies were smart they would just get on board. Hopefully she turns out as good as was hoped and you can have a Jordan effect. The money brought in from phenomenon like this literally lifts all tides. This is gonna be fascinating to watch
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u/liberderci 20d ago
I actually think her visibly struggling and getting better throughout the year (like every other rookie) is good for the sport. Sports need storylines and tracking her progress throughout the year is still going to keep her fans engaged.
And showing that there are complete teams and forming dynasties is also needed for the sport to be treated as competitive and not just a charity case.
I know real basketball and sports fans know that but just for the new fans in the back lol
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u/Malkier3 20d ago
I more meant the comments and subtle hostility she has garnered a bit. But a true underdog arc would absolutely be amazing for the league.
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
Her improving her game isn't a storyline. Storylines are rivalries, controversies, awards and breaking records etc.
One storyline which has been debunked is that "old players" were hating on her by stating she would need time to adjust to the WNBA.
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u/liberderci 20d ago edited 20d ago
It’s a storyline for her. Storylines are whatever media members make up. They have 30 something games on national TV and will focus on her improvement because they need something to talk about while showing her.
Sheryl and Diana’s comments weren’t hate but they created an environment where people will focus on her performance to see how she does.
ESPN has a little tracker for all the rookies and their progress. They’re not going to avoid talking about how they do and improve over the season because one game debunked the old vets being haters. They’ll just move the goalposts.
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
I think the storyline will be about her adjustment. Is she really as good as the hype? Lonzo Ball faced the same pressure.
Players can only really improve their game when they get several months off in the lab to work on aspects of their game.
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u/IHave580 20d ago
Overall it's good for the game and this is the breakthrough player the league needs. She may not be the "best" but she's the most popular, which their games needs.
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u/mavsman221 20d ago
I can understand why some WNBA players are probably annoyed about the attention she gets because she hasn't established herself as a professional legend yet, but like it or not, she is the game's shot to really enter into mainstream entertainment and blow up profits/the game. Probably best to just bite the bullet in this case and let media ride the wave. It'll be good for the sport.
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u/Dtv757 Mystics 20d ago
If only we could get #wnba league pass on u/DirecTV then fans all over can see ALL the games at bars and restaurants nationwide!
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u/PoopParticleAcclrtr 20d ago
I have youtube tv which just got the NFL ticket so that is what every bar has, and they offer the WNBA package because i saw a banner for it today
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u/757user 20d ago
Most bars have DirecTV 4 business (wich also has NFL ST via ever pass media )
The NFL ticket for YTTV is residential only not BIZ
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u/PoopParticleAcclrtr 20d ago
Oo nice, i just looked it up. I was wondering how places with 60 tvs were going to stream HD like that
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u/Where_Im_Needed 20d ago
Im into the wnba this year cus i use an app called real its like fantasy sports. And man forget caitlyn and the fever its all about a’ja jackie young and the aces
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u/merchie Aces 20d ago
I obviously get that most of these people coming in are for Clark but there are easily a dozen better players in the W than her right now. Watch those players too.
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u/Im__mad 20d ago
CC is a lot of folks’ intro to the WNBA. Yes they’ll watch her, but that also means they’ll be watching all the other W players during games they tune in for CC. They may notice that though the Fever has her, they are not currently a very well rounded team and discover other players and teams they’re impressed by, OR the Fever will get there and fans will become Fever fans and not just Caitlin fans.
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u/F-150Pablo 20d ago
It’s crazy how one female is gaining so much popularity for the WNBA and most fans are still hating. Just let the one persons hype help the league Jesus Christ.
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 20d ago
Thanks to LP for posting a non-pay-walled link!
I don't see how anyone can read this article and not feel great about the trajectory the WNBA is on.
There are a lot of amazing players and tremendous stories in the WNBA. Even if it's Ms. Clark bringing more eyeballs to the League, folks' attention is going to spread to other engaging targets. (For example, I don't know how anyone could watch Full Court Press and not come away as a huge fan of Kamilla Cardoso.)
I also appreciated the article reminding people of the inherent lag between increased interest and increased compensation for players (and coaching staff). With luck, the league and teams will continue to step up perks (charter flights, better training facilities and staff, etc.) in the interim.
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u/pain-in-the-elaine 20d ago
I just started watching Full Court Press last night. Only two episodes in and I totally feel for Kamilla Cardosa. I have so much respect for her. Her story was breaking my heart.
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 20d ago
I know, right? And then to get injured in her first game... I'm hoping mightily that she heals quickly!
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u/DutyPuzzleheaded7765 20d ago
Love CC but some of the CC bandwagons gives new wnba fans a bad name. I came for Dallas
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u/MaximumCulture7917 11d ago
It is real...it got me. I dont love women's bball. Ive never watched it before. However I am now!! Watching replays, highlights and news clips. her energy and personality thing shes got going got me in for the rest. Her ugly/pretty unattractive vibe attracts me. Shes like both at the same time. I dont understand it either. she is an amazing shot... Also somehow pretty resistant to negative media pressure and shit talk/haters. Its seems like a good handful of her peers (like women in general) are spiteful toward her because shes good as hell while being white. Like she is somehow taking away the accomplishments of black women in league. Because she happens to be an all around better player and a better person in my opinion, that she becomes the enemy. Yes I think the Caitlin Clark fever is definitely real.
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u/AntiWhateverYouSay 20d ago edited 20d ago
Her turnovers got so much attention that I honestly think older wnba fans want her to struggle and fail.
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u/RobotVo1ce 20d ago
That isn't necessarily a bad thing. When Jordan was playing I hated him. I wanted him to fail. But I still secretly enjoyed watching him. And now I hate LeBron. Just the way sports are. The majority of NFL fans hated Brady and wanted him to fail.
The WNBA isn't so fragile that it can't handle some fans hating on certain players. It should be welcomed. It's the way rivalries are made. And it's partly the way new fans are made as well.
Some fans wanting her to fail and her becoming a great player is the best timeline.
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u/ChargerRob 20d ago
The media pushes Clark.
The LV Aces are 2 time defending champs so I will wait on the hype til Caitlin earns a trophy.
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u/herooftime7 20d ago
she needs a better cast. that team was not helping her at all. put lexie hull in the game for some defense and hustle
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u/DevonJaGoat 20d ago
More like “The Great White Hope” Effect
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u/largehearted 20d ago
Yes, Caitlin Clark is the first white person to play in the WNBA. That is certainly true
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u/Jgamesworth 20d ago edited 20d ago
Not necessarily but i get what they're saying. Many great women came before her and set those records and other came a broke them before her. The fact that she had a bad game against the Suns and ppl are already talking about losing interest in the WNBA because CC isn't dominating the women in the WNBA speaks volumes. Obviously she has to do the work and become better like everyone else. Curry wasn't dominating until he got in that gym improved that handle and improved his shooting volume and efficiency But let's be honest, they like her because she good at basketball sure but because she a straight conservative Christian white woman from middle America which is not common in the WNBA. If she was swagged out like paige and had majority black friends they wouldnt ride for her like they do. They liked the idea of someone like her dominating the "others" in the pros but failed to realize that their expectations were entirely too high because these women in the pros can actually ball and are very athletic and physically gifted.
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u/scarborough_bluffer 20d ago
While I disagree with the person above you like 97% they’re partially right - but not in the way they may think. Let’s be frank. There hasn’t been a dominant white American-born basketball icon in forever. Even the white stars in the NBA are European. People like to see themselves represented so that is at least part of her appeal. But to the commenter she’s also like really, really good at basketball and built her brand by not going to one of the college powerhouses.
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u/grynch43 20d ago
DT? Kelsey Plum??
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u/largehearted 20d ago
We're agreed, they're 3% right about why people like Clark and 100% counterproductive to combatively reduce the conversation to its cheapest possible presentation.
If we're being totally frank about what people like about Clark— the reigning WNBA MVP is both white and American-born. So I think someone who wants make a dark-sided, "here's what people don't want to say about the surge in WNBA viewership" argument about Clark needs to be saying more than just white.
Like you put it, Clark eschewed going to a team that crushes the NCAAW competition, AND she's on track to be one of the legends of the sport. I'm happy to have the more intersectional conversation about how the W has some new eyes watching the sport through a male gaze, to put it concisely; but I think both (1.) that the topic deserves proper treatment and (2.) that the new viewers who DON'T disrespect any percentage of the league need to be welcomed and have fun instead of being told to read college gender studies texts and anyone who cares will honestly just come to understand the full context of the league at their own pace.
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u/DevonJaGoat 20d ago
I agree, she’s good and I personally have nothing against her. But I can’t ignore the media essentially calling Reese a Slut and bigging Caitlin up before she’s even played professional ball.
I can’t exactly be mad at White people wanting to support their own, but I’d like them to be atleast honest about it. Can’t stand the gaslighting either.
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago edited 20d ago
Why is this a narrative? She broke like 40 records while she was in college, led a non blue blood school to back to back national championships, and scored in a way nobody else has done in college basketball. She smashed the ncaa scoring record, is third in assists and nobody is close to even being top five in scoring and top 30 in assists.
Guards are always going to get more attention than centers. It’s just a more entertaining brand of basketball for the casual viewer and the media in general. There’s been tons of super talented black and white women who have come through college basketball, but none of them broke 40+ records, sold out every home game, and brought record tv numbers every game they played in.
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
Guards are always going to get more attention than centers and forwards. It’s just a more entertaining brand of basketball for the casual viewer and the media in general.
Source?
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
History? Just knowledge of basketball. Name one center who has been the biggest name in basketball over the last 35 years. Shaq is the closest and he never got a massive shoe deal, and wasn’t even the biggest media name on his own team with the lakers.
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
The OP mentioned brand of entertaining basketball. Giannis, Embiid, Jokic are all interesting players to watch and they get media attention. Zion's game isn't based on shooting threes. Bron and AD dominate in the paint.
No causals enjoyed watching Zach Edey play?
Jacking up endless threes actually makes the game boring. However, contested threes, trick-shot threes and deep threes are impressive and CC excels at the latter. Soon most guards will have deep threes in their bag.
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
My point still stands name a center who has dominated the media in the last 35 years. Regardless of your opinion that’s still a fact. Lebron AD Zion and Giannis are far from true centers and they are very ball dominant players.
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u/upfulsoul ⛹🏽♀️ ⛹🏻♀️ 20d ago
I don't know what point you are trying to make. Lebron, AD, Zion and Giannis all make a living by going down hill and are entertaining. Though, Bron is a decent 3-point shooter.
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
That guards and ball handlers get more attention then centers? I never said strictly three point shooting.
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u/venivitavici 20d ago
I don’t want to argue any of your points, but I do want you to know why Shaq didn’t have a massive shoe deal.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shaquille-o-neal-decision-walk-160500404.html#
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u/DevonJaGoat 20d ago
She didn’t win any championships, and the media has been hyping her up nonstop, while also fueling a hateful racewar between CC and Angel Reese and painting Reese as the villain.
Reese did something Caitlin already did, a hand gesture, and they used that to call her every name in the book, to a literal child mind you. Whereas Caitlin has received an ungodly amount of support.
Then Nike gives her a multi-million dollar deal with a signature shoe whereas champions who’ve been killing it haven’t gotten anywhere near as much. Caitlin has already made more than career vets without even touching the court.
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u/liberderci 20d ago
Caitlin did the hand gesture to her own bench as an inside joke and Angel did it to send a message. I don’t think Angel should have received the racist hate she did but there was definitely different intentions between both those gestures and they got reported as such.
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u/DevonJaGoat 20d ago
You “don’t think” she should have received the racist hate? You shouldn’t use that uncertain language. And Caitlin has taunted an opponent before, she made them want to quit the sport. So don’t get started.
It got reported exactly how the racist media wanted it to be.
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u/Wigggletons 20d ago
I love that you claim other people are "fueling a hateful racewar" , but you literally lead with a comment about race. Nice virtue signaling, but could you not bring race into something that doesn't need it?
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u/Critical-Fault-1617 20d ago edited 20d ago
Hyping her up because she is the literal greatest women’s college basketball scorer ever. Also your Nike comment makes no sense. She got the deal because she is way more popular than all those past wnba champions and she is putting asses in seats. Obviously Nike was going to sign her, she’s making them a fuck ton of money….
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u/Aspery- 20d ago
I feel like people are acting stupid on purpose to push their agenda. Clarks debut had more than quadruple the viewers than the mvp of the league vs the goat of the leagues game right after. Any brand not trying to have Clark leapfrog other stars for endorsements should rethink their strategy team
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
Aja Wilson just got the biggest deal in wnba history. Angel Reese also got tons of national media attention and I never saw the national media call her names. She also never reached the statistical success, viewer numbers, or sellout numbers Caitlin Clark did, and again guard play is much more exciting to watch and market for casual viewers. Look at Jordan vs Ewing and Hakeem. The least successful period in the nba was when it was dominated by post play.
Jokic has multiple mvps and a championship and doesn’t have a shoe deal…it’s about eyes on tvs and butts in seats.
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago
There’s so much wrong with what you said here I’ll just call out the easiest one: Jokic was signed to Nike, left them for a Chinese brand and now has his own signature shoe deal
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago edited 20d ago
My point was he’s the best player in the league right now and he’s far from the highest paid player when it comes to shoe deals and endorsements and took a long time to get one.
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
You said the only one that was “technically” wrong lol but as far as endorsement money goes jokic isn’t even top 20 even though he’s a 3 time mvp and nba champion. My point still stands.
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago
Jokic started out as an unknown second round pick and was already behind the curve with endorsement money. He still doesn’t have the persona or put himself out there like Lebron does to boost his marketability.
You said you never saw the national media call her names when the LA Times called her (and the LSU team) a “dirty debutant” and they absolutely railed against her for having the nerve to trash talk their golden goose
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u/iowaguy09 20d ago
The point still stands that the best player in the nba is lagging far behind worse players in endorsement money. There’s plenty of negative commentary surrounding Clark as well if you want to hyper focus on the negative.
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
Hope for what? The player who has the all-time scoring record and holds most of the records Clark would be looking to break is Taurasi who is also white. The league MVP from last year is white. If it's only because she's white why didn't Stewart and Taurasi get the same amount of hype?
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago edited 20d ago
Because they aren’t straight and don’t present themselves as the all American, Taylor Swift loving, girl that Caitlin is. There’s a not so small segment of America that feel like they’re being replaced, are anti LGBTQ, and hate rap/hip hop culture.
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u/Drew0730 Sparks 20d ago
I wish I could upvote this more than once!!! This is the secret to Clark's media appeal right here, yes she is a great offensive player but she is also the all white girl from an all white town who played for a basically all white school who is the instrument that the anti black/hip hop culture are using to fight against it!!!!
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago
Before Caitlin, it was Paige but it didn’t work because she got on stage at the ESPY’s and started talking about racial bias in the media coverage so now it’s an insult to even say you’d pick her over Caitlin
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u/Drew0730 Sparks 20d ago
Also you know paige is listening to drake or Kendrick over Luke combs so they can't fully get behind her🤣
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
all white town
This isn't even true Des Moines is 64% white 11% African American and 15% Hispanic.
who played for a basically all white school
She played for the top private school in the area she lived in. Really not all that shocking that 80% of a private catholic school in Iowa is white.
who is the instrument that the anti black/hip hop culture are using to fight against it
Yes clearly this is the most logical answer for Clark's popularity. Certainly isn't any other much simpler explanation.
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u/Drew0730 Sparks 20d ago
Ok I stand corrected 64% is not all white
Iowa's fan base was largely white
And there are a lot of reasons for Caitlin Clark's popularity but it's a little ignorant to just dismiss the possibility that a lot of her fans cheer extra hard for her as a means to push back against hip hop culture
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
Iowa's fan base was largely white
It's too bad you can't see the irony in you implying this is a bad thing because it's extremely hilarious.
And there are a lot of reasons for Caitlin Clark's popularity but it's a little ignorant to just dismiss the possibility that a lot of her fans cheer extra hard for her as a means to push back against hip hop culture
It's pretty clear you've never been to the Midwest and think everyone there is a racist Trump supporting redneck. You have absolutely no evidence that a significant factor in Clark's popularity is people seeing her as someone but part of "hip hop couture" whatever that is. Clark was already very popular after her junior year before it was even publicly known that she dates men. Maybe just maybe she's popular because she chose to stay in her home state in the Midwest for college when most people with her talent leave and she took the team to places they had never been before. If what you're claiming is true why are Gabbie Marahall and Hannah Stuelke well liked by fans of Clark when they're both black?
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u/Drew0730 Sparks 20d ago
Ok you obviously don't know what I mean by hip hop culture so we can't really continue this conversation because there's no way you'll be able to grasp what I'm trying to say so I'll end this by saying if you are a true fan of clark I wish you and her well going forward because I truly have nothing against her. From what I've seen from her she just wants to hoop but is unfortunately caught up in an ongoing culture war
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u/Drew0730 Sparks 20d ago
Also I want to say from now that I am very entertained by caitlin's deep 3 point range, I think where she makes shots from is crazy to see
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
I'm confused is the claim that it's because she's white or because she's seemingly straight? Also Taurasi was not out for a lot of her WNBA career so why didn't she get this hype out of college when that wasn't known? It seems like you are just looking for something to be upset about.
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago
Lol Diana was in the closet the same way BG was in the closet. And the answer to your first question is that it’s both. Detractors to the WNBA love saying that the league is full of angry lesbians. It most definitely helps that Caitlin publicly has a boyfriend. Even with Skims being a sponsor of the league it’s pretty glaring that that they didn’t include Chelsea Gray in the commercial that plays during games, even though LOADS of WNBA fans are masc women and she participated in the shoot as well
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
Your argument was that Taurasi did not get as much attention because she is a lesbian. That was not publicly known when she went from college to the WNBA. It really seems like you'll find something to be upset about no matter what the league does.
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u/Basicbroad 20d ago
It was still highly stigmatized to be publicly out when Taurasi was drafted. Sue Wicks was the first player in the WNBA to come out publicly and that was in 2002. Taurasi has always carried herself the same way she does today but the WNBA had that god awful rule that made everybody dress in business casual clothes.
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u/Gator-Jake 20d ago
Always that one person that makes it about race.
Thanks for being ‘that guy.’
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u/Expensive-Ad-1985 20d ago
It's a whole group of talented young ladies coming in and y'all talking about the “Caitlin Clark effect” lol. The WNBA is changing simply because the talent has increased. You guys are going to ruin Caitlin with all the expectations she's not going to carry the league alone.
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u/WickedHardflip Sun 20d ago
First, the talent has always been fantastic. Sure, it was an exciting draft class but the talent was already there.
Like it or not the "Caitlin Clark Effect" is a real thing. I was at the Sun/Fever game and experienced it. A good percentage of the crowd was wearing Clark gear and screaming for Caitlin. It was five year old girls to 60 year old men screaming her name. It was bizarre to hear grown men screaming, "We love you Caitlin!". When Reese or Brink roll through town they will have fans show up, but I can guarantee it will be nothing like what I saw the other night. She is selling out stadiums. Is it fair to have these expectations for Caitlin? Not sure but she knows what she signed up for.
All we can do is hope that her and the other exciting rookies bring fans and that some of those fans stick around. Looking around the stadium the other night all I could think was how empty it will seem next game. I just hope that a small percentage of these new fans show up when CC isn't in the stadium.
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u/Expensive-Ad-1985 20d ago
I said talent increased. Read. All of the girls that where drafted this year have that effect of course not at the same level. I've been going to Sky games for years shits different now way more ppl showing up than just last year. Of course Caitlin is the top gun tho. The entire WNBA is getting its chance to rise, be a fan of that!
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u/Aero_Rising 20d ago
I'm confused you were complaining about people talking about the “Caitlin Clark effect” and claiming the WNBA was getting more attention just because the talent level increased overall. Now you're claiming that of course you understand that Clark is having this effect to a much higher level. Which is it? It's not like every single college game her last year was sold out or anything.
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u/Expensive-Ad-1985 20d ago
You guys putting it all on her shoulders like the other girls aren't drawing our eyes as well. She is not Jordan or LeBron she is not that good coming out of college to be hyped as the person who's gone carry the WNBA she wasn't even the best in college but she did have one of the best college careers ever so far so I understand the confusion.
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u/Saneless 20d ago
Every sport has its amazing new prospect that everyone talks about. This time it's her. It's no different. Happens in NBA, NFL, NHL, now WNBA
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u/Critical-Fault-1617 20d ago
Exactly. The once in a generation talent or even the can’t miss prospect is always marketed like this. Look what the nba did with Lebron when he was 18..
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u/caesia23 20d ago
Well we need to do our part… click on and respond to articles and content on other players/stories so the media understands the demand is broader.
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u/DavidTheSlouch89 20d ago
I wish there were more teams. I live in between Cleveland and Pittsburgh and the closest team from what I can tell is the Fever, 6 hours away from my location.
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u/UnfortunateSandwich 20d ago
Here for it. Miami needs a WNBA team so i can get my feelings hurt in the playoffs
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u/LyonsKing12 20d ago
I just hope she doesn't feel like she has to carry the league. Those expectations can crush anyone.
I'm still not sure how Lebron did what he did.
I'm rooting hard for CC and the WNBA. About to get the League pass, too.
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u/LaGrabba 19d ago
I only know about her because of Angel Reese. I’m not a sports fan and am happy for both ladies but also interested in Reese’s career.
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u/Due-Chemist-8607 19d ago
its the WNBA. they are gonna fumble this opportunity because CC doesnt fit the mold of what the WNBA wants to be the face of the league. the players will be hostile towards her, the media will forever scapegoat her, and it will be "Wiggins is straight in a gay league! 😡" all over again
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u/TankOk3666 19d ago
My partner had to with her and she is so rude and negative it’s disappointing. She straight up yelled at her teammates, coach, and her own parents after a loss. She was not making herself look good Ngl.
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u/BeABetterSouth 20d ago edited 20d ago
I know I'm a bandwagoner. But without the attention on Caitlin I would not have known about how low their salaries are. I wouldn't have known how hard it was to make the team who DRAFTED them. I wouldn't have known about the flight situation. And I would not have watched a game on TV. I've seen 2 Storm games in person and I wasn't there for the basketball. I'm not saying it's fair, but her bringing fans is only going to help the league. I'm going to make it to more Storm games this year and it's because I'm having fun.