There are many things in this world that defy logic and rational thinking.
One is the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association).
The women's league was formed 20 years ago by the NBA to further the game of basketball.
Despite the women's game becoming more popular in the last several years primarily due to new players such as Caitlin Clark. Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, the WNBA continue to lose money.
The WNBA lost a reported collective amount of $50 million in 2025 after losing $40 million in 2024.
The arrival of Caitlin Clark in 2024 brought increased attendance and tv viewership but it has not helped the bottom line as players demanded more money under a new collective bargaining agreement.
For example, compare the attendance at Atlanta Dream games when playing the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark compared to other opponents.
Atlanta averages over 17,000 per game when Caitlin Clark is in town compared to a normal average of just over 4,000 since she joined the league.
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| Source: Google AI |
You can also see the effect that Clark has had in looking at tv viewership.
Caitlin Clark has played in every game on this list of the top WNBA audiences in the last 25 years.
She was also the centerpiece of the NBA draft show in 2024 when she was the first overall selection.
Remove Caitlin Clark from the equation and the WNBA loses fans in the seats and viewers on the screen.
Of course, that equates to less revenues to the NBA and the WNBA owners.
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| Source: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/07/wnba-viewership-fever-liberty-among-most-watched-since-2000/ |
You also have this.
Every measurable that is important to revenue generation in the WNBA leads back to Caitlin Clark.
Clark's team, the Indiana Fever, generates more social media impressions than every other WNBA team COMBINED.
For years the WNBA asked basketball fans to give the league a chance. Not many paid attention despite many talented players who were on the court.
Caitlin Clark showed up and suddenly a lot of people started paying attention. That is not an opinion. It is in the facts above.
The WNBA ought to be celebrating and sanctifying her presence.
Caitlin Clark is what Tiger Woods did for the PGA Tour and Michael Jordan did for the NBA.
She is the Aesop's goose that lays golden eggs.
In a logical world the WNBA would do everything in their power to promote and protect her.
That is not the world we live in.
Clark seems to be a target in every game she plays.
She is the victim of more flagrant fouls than anyone else in the league.
She is routinely bodied and beaten up and the referees sit on their whistles.
The WNBA seems to go out of its way to argue Clark is not really that good and is not the reason that the popularity of the of their league has grown in the last three years.
Last week Clark had the fourth triple double of her career.
That is the third most in WNBA history and the most by a guard.
Clark is only in her third year in the league.
However, WNBA players recently voted Caitlin Clark as only the 11th best guard in the league.
These are considered the current leaders in the WNBA for the MVP this year.
Caitlin Clark is not mentioned.
None of these women has ever had a triple double.
Clark's 2026 statistics by comparison.
She is averaging more points and more assists per game than Bueckers and Miles who the WNBA players rank higher than Clark.
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| Source: https://www.statmuse.com/wnba/ask/caitlin-clark-2026-stats |
More relevant, Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA in offensive production despite being hurt and missing 3 games compared to most other players.
She's accounted for 40% of her team's scoring this year between her points and assists.
But she is not considered a leading contender for MVP?
Isn't that the definition of the most valuable player?
One of the more impressive stats I have seen regarding Clark is this one.
Average distance on 3 point FG's.
Better than every NBA player's career stat and not another WNBA player on the list.
Yes, the women play with a smaller ball and the same rim size which makes it easier for the ball to go through the hoop.
However, this is still an astounding stat.
Considering all of the above and what she means to the WNBA, how is it that the league and its players seem to be determined to diminish and destroy her? |
| Image created by Grok Imagine |
As usual, excellent analysis and explanation of what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI didn't ask to be born, but when I was born, I was born a little Caucasian baby. My parents were both Caucasian. All my brothers and sisters, and the vast majority of my friends are Caucasian. The neighborhood that I live in is predominantly Caucasian. All of this and more makes me a total racist in today's zeitgeist.
Caitlin Clark didn't ask to be born either. Just another driven young kid who worked her, butt off and made it to the top, and now look what happens to her!
Oh give me a break, this is the cutlure war at its most comical. So Bill Laimbeer and the Pistons' Jordan rules were due to jealousy, racism and resentment by your logic? How about "Tiger-Proofing" major championship venues, was that racist by your logic? My god man, how much open resentment was there for Tiger in the 90s and early 2000s...I mean do you need to re-watch what an ass hole Curtis Strange was to him when he first interviewed him? Do you need to re-read Fuzzy Zoeller's openly racist comments that he made on the grounds at August in 1998?
ReplyDeleteYou have a poor recollection of the Tiger and Jordan eras. There was a little bit of jealous in the first months after both turned pro due to the big endorsement deals they had at the outset. However, that quickly went away and was replaced with awe and respect at their abilities.
DeleteCaitlin is three years in and the jealousy and resentment has only gotten stronger.
As far as Tiger proofing courses, you are trying to suggest that it was about race.
It was about Tiger winning The Masters by 12 shots in 1997.
Not everything is about race.
That also goes for Caitlin Clark's situation.
However, there is an abnormal amount of jealousy and resentment in her situation that is unwarranted considering the attention and money she is bringing to the WNBA and the other players.
If it is not due to what I suggest, what is it due to?.
Wait, Jordan and Tiger, competitive jealousy disappeared after months? Alternate reality indeed.
DeleteNo alternate reality. Competitive jealousy gone well before what we are seeing with Caitlin. You still have not explained why Clark is such a target.
DeleteFrom Google AI.
Michael Jordan (Turned Pro: 1984)The Initial Friction: Entering the NBA out of North Carolina in 1984, Jordan faced immediate hype and sizeable rookie contracts, causing some veteran players to be skeptical or testing of the young guard.
How Long It Lasted: Roughly one season. Jordan's explosive play earned him NBA Rookie of the Year, and by his stellar performances through his first few professional years, peer jealousy quickly turned into acknowledged respect and awe across the league.
Tiger Woods (Turned Pro: 1996)The Initial Friction: When Woods turned professional in August 1996 backed by unprecedented multi-million dollar endorsement deals before hitting a pro shot, older PGA Tour veterans felt ruffled by the massive media circus and disruption.
How Long It Lasted: About one to two years (crystallized by his historic 1997 Masters win). The resentment vanished as fellow golfers realized two things: first, that his skill level was stratospheric, and second, that "the Tiger effect" massively spiked TV ratings and dramatically multiplied total PGA Tour prize money, making his peers wealthy in the process.
Also per Google AI, a source you seem to like:
Delete"No, comprehensive investigations, audits, and court rulings found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have altered the outcome of the 2020 United States presidential election.While isolated instances of voter misconduct or administrative irregularities occur in any large-scale election, exhaustive reviews confirmed that the election's results were accurate and secure"
What does that have to do with Caitlin Clark?
DeleteYou seem to have a bad case of TDS.
Also per Google AI:
DeleteTrump Derangement Syndrome is not a medical term. It is a political slang word and insult, not a real mental health condition.Medical FactsIt is not listed in the official medical guide for mental illnesses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).Real mental health groups do not recognize it as a valid diagnosis.Doctors and experts state it is just a label used in politics.
I rest my case.
DeleteYes it is a political label.
It has not risen to a real medical condition YET.
You and many others seem not to be able to analyze or assess any facts without letting your dislike of Trump enter your thought process.
Caitlin Clark is a prime example. Nothing to do with Trump but you want to inject him into the discussion.
I assume you are the one who did the same thing when confronted with the facts about Fauci..
The response was to repeat the false claim that Trump told people to inject bleach to combat Covid.and clear the lungs of the virus after it was shown disinfectant was useful in killing the virus. Trump was merely raising the question whether research should be done by medical experts to determine if this was something that should be looked at. I saw the press conference live where he said it. You are repeating a falsehood just like "the fine people on both sides" Charlottesville hoax.
Chill out.
The NBA has the Golden State Warriors. The WNBA has the Social Justice Warriors.
ReplyDelete