Caitlin Clark

[LouderVol]

So I have the same interest in the WNBA now as I have since its inception, which is basically none. Caitlin Clark doesn’t make a difference for me. Are all of you and others that now follow it really sincerely interested in it, or is ESPN and the rest of the media pushing a Charles Woodson like brainwashing on us and we are grabbing hold like it’s a lifeline?

I think she is like any "star".
if you are a fan of the sport you are going to gravitate to her as one of the best.
If you aren't a big fan of the sport, she is good enough to stand out from the crowd, at least she was at the college level, so you can understand the attention she gets if you watch.
the name recognition and ESPN push definitely feeds/grows upon itself, but at least for now she seems worthy of the extra attention. and at least as far as ticket sales go, she is worth it there for the sport to pay special attention to her.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Who’s gonna tell her?

 

[n_huffhines]

I think seeing Angel Reese celebrating bugged me more than the actual foul. It’s one thing to commit a hard foul that sends a message, That’s part of the game. I’ve advocated for that in my thoughts about the current generation players for not having those rivalries like we used to see w/ the Pistons vs various teams or those slugfest games w/ the Heat and the Knicks back in the 90’s . That kind of celebrating for a cheap shot away from the ball is soft.

I am glad the rivalry exists and I'm glad Reese is petty. I hate that it's turned into a black/white thing for so many people, but it's entertaining...however, I can't take her commentary with her fake desperation. She claims there is no beef/rivalry and she celebrates cheap fouls and says thirsty **** like "people are here to watch me, too." OK, there is some truth to that but if you gotta say you're the king then you're not the king. I just gotta remember she's a kid and then I'm whatever about it, but she sure ropes you in.

 

[SpookyAction]

Am I the only person who is strongly reminded of Dennis Rodman (young player with their POV way out of whack) when they watch and listen to Angel Reese? She acts like the girlfriend that starts acting like a serial killer after you break up.

CC is the golden goose and the reason people are watching WNBA. Most players appreciate what the attention she brings to the league means for all of them; the mental fringe players have a target on her. All teams have a target on her, but that 10% of players have the assassins mentality. They can make a name for themselves by taking out the Queen.

Her impact on the league is yet to be seen, but I would compare her to rookie Peyton Manning and rookie Bo Jackson for impact comparison. If she becomes a great pro player, the WNBA can take the next step up in prominence and money.

McAfee did his job. Now people are talking about Caitlin Clark more than ever, and Pat McAfee is in the conversation. He understands the media dance very well.

 

[n_huffhines]

Am I the only person who is strongly reminded of Dennis Rodman (young player with their POV way out of whack) when they watch and listen to Angel Reese? She acts like the girlfriend that starts acting like a serial killer after you break up.

Yes. Rodman was/is a psychopath. I have no idea what you're talking about with the last sentence.

Angel Reese is more like a Matt Barnes or Pat Bev. Pat Bev is going way too far, but you get it.

 

[05_never_again]

I am glad the rivalry exists and I'm glad Reese is petty. I hate that it's turned into a black/white thing for so many people, but it's entertaining...however, I can't take her commentary with her fake desperation. She claims there is no beef/rivalry and she celebrates cheap fouls and says thirsty **** like "people are here to watch me, too." OK, there is some truth to that but if you gotta say you're the king then you're not the king. I just gotta remember she's a kid and then I'm whatever about it, but she sure ropes you in.

The one thing I did like is she said something about embracing the villain role. Sports need villains, and she seems to have the personality who would embrace that. And the funny thing there is that embracing a particular role that fits you is a genuine act that'll actually get more people to like you, if that's ultimately what her objective is. Admit there's a rivalry. Flash a wry smile and say you like it when people boo you. People like that.

Drop the whole "Hey, they're watching because of me too!!" (it's a weak, submissive statement) and it'll be better for both her and the league.

 

[n_huffhines]

The one thing I did like is she said something about embracing the villain role. Sports need villains, and she seems to have the personality who would embrace that. And the funny thing there is that embracing a particular role that fits you is a genuine act that'll actually get more people to like you, if that's ultimately what her objective is. Admit there's a rivalry. Flash a wry smile and say you like it when people boo you. People like that.

Drop the whole "Hey, they're watching because of me too!!" (it's a weak, submissive statement) and it'll be better for both her and the league.

The most annoying thing is a villain who doesn't know/own that they're a villain. I love villains who embrace it.

 

[05_never_again]

The most annoying thing is a villain who doesn't know/own that they're a villain. I love villains who embrace it.

Yep. As much as she wants to occupy the space that Caitlin Clark occupies, she isn't going to. If she's going to be openly jealous and catty about that, it isn't good for her image and marketability. She can be an obvious foil to CC if she wants to be, and there's so much hay to be made there. Hell, she already has been, back to 2 seasons ago in college.

Think about your favorite hero vs. villain movies (superhero movies, James Bond, etc.). It's just my opinion, but how often is the villain a more interesting character than the hero? She should consider that.

 

[n_huffhines]

Yep. As much as she wants to occupy the space that Caitlin Clark occupies, she isn't going to. If she's going to be openly jealous and catty about that, it isn't good for her image and marketability. She can be an obvious foil to CC if she wants to be, and there's so much hay to be made there. Hell, she already has been, back to 2 seasons ago in college.

Think about your favorite hero vs. villain movies (superhero movies, James Bond, etc.). It's just my opinion, but how often is the villain a more interesting character than the hero? She should consider that.

I think it is good for her marketability. How on earth is she getting commercials? She's just a regular star big from a great college team. Nobody knew who she was until she made waves on her title run, acting like this. This is her ticket. Honestly, she's somewhere in between Corliss Williamson and Kevin Willis as a player.

 

[05_never_again]

I think it is good for her marketability. How on earth is she getting commercials? She's just a regular star big from a great college team. Nobody knew who she was until she made waves on her title run, acting like this. This is her ticket. Honestly, she's somewhere in between Corliss Williamson and Kevin Willis as a player.

I don't think her saying "They watch because of me too!" is good for her marketability. You said it yourself - the big draw doesn't have to openly declare that they are the big draw.

It's not something that a villain says; it's something that a whiny, jealous wannabe says. She's getting TV commercials from her title run in college 2 years ago, when she was the brash, trash-talking good player on a winning team.

 

[NashVol11]

She didn’t only say “me, too,” FWIW, they just cut the rest out

 

[n_huffhines]

She didn’t only say “me, too,” FWIW, they just cut the rest out

I figured she meant everybody.

IDK what she means by it's not a part of the narrative. Everybody knows what the league grew into by 2023. It is a part of the narrative. It's the fkn baseline for the Caitlin Clark 40% attendance explosion that everybody is talking about. It's implied that all these ladies got it there, and then one person exploded it from there. Nobody should feel surprised or slighted when the talk is mostly about her. Pardon everybody for being interested in the tipping point.

Imagine Kevin McHale watching the Jordan phenomenon grow globally and being like "I did this too, and so did others but that's not part of the narrative." It's just jealousy manifest.

 

[n_huffhines]

Wait until every team has a player making $1m and the old WNBA crowd is gonna be really jealous.

That's the part that sucks. Cheryl Swoops got her flowers. She didn't get the $.

What's crazy is Shaq is so jealous of Gobert's money and Shaq is rich! Luka about to sign a $350m/5 contract which is significantly more than Shaq made in his career. We thought MJ's $34m/1 was insane.

 

[Pappy]

I’ve also got Bob Gross, Kevin Grevey, Paul Mokeski, Chuck Nevitt and Doug Moe.

let's leave Doug Moe out of the convo...he did play at Calina ya know.....

 

[Lawrence Wright]

let's leave Doug Moe out of the convo...he did play at Calina ya know.....

Very well then, I’ll give you Doug Moe and replace him with the great Billy Paultz.

 

[KoachKrab127]

I figured she meant everybody.

IDK what she means by it's not a part of the narrative. Everybody knows what the league grew into by 2023. It is a part of the narrative. It's the fkn baseline for the Caitlin Clark 40% attendance explosion that everybody is talking about. It's implied that all these ladies got it there, and then one person exploded it from there. Nobody should feel surprised or slighted when the talk is mostly about her. Pardon everybody for being interested in the tipping point.

Imagine Kevin McHale watching the Jordan phenomenon grow globally and being like "I did this too, and so did others but that's not part of the narrative." It's just jealousy manifest.

Other players did say that about Michael Jordan in the 80s. Bill Laimbeer immediately comes to mind.

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

These “ladies” need to understand who is finally bringing attention to the WNBA. Aside from Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi, I couldn’t name another player in that league. Now I know 4 more: Clark, Reese, Cardoso and Rickea Jackson.

They need to face the fact that Clark is the reason some attention is being paid and be thankful for it. If Clark wasn’t there, they would still be toiling in obscurity. I understand that rookies get hazed and beat up some and especially one who is getting so much attention. But there is no place for cheap shots and that was a cheap shot and cowardly to blindside her.

I don't care about basketball much...but I watched every Iowa WBB game I could just to watch Clark.

She obviously has to adjust to the pro game, but she's leading all rookies in scoring. She's basically getting the Jordan Rules treatment that the Pistons used to use against Michael Jordan.

She is getting jealous attention from WNBA players who are jealous of the attention she gets. Several of them are also envious of her Nike NIL deal, which is reportedly around $38 million.

The league isn't going up allow the other players to thug her up indefinitely. She is their biggest draw. Game attendence for WNBA averages around 7,000 per game. Fever games average around 17,000 including road games.

 

[LouderVol]

I don't care about basketball much...but I watched every Iowa WBB game I could just to watch Clark.

She obviously has to adjust to the pro game, but she's leading all rookies in scoring. She's basically getting the Jordan Rules treatment that the Pistons used to use against Michael Jordan.

She is getting jealous attention from WNBA players who are jealous of the attention she gets. Several of them are also envious of her Nike NIL deal, which is reportedly around $38 million.

The league isn't going up allow the other players to thug her up indefinitely. She is their biggest draw. Game attendence for WNBA averages around 7,000 per game. Fever games average around 17,000 including road games.

and they are pretty bad, and not winning much.

 

[KptVFL]

 

[SpookyAction]

I don't care about basketball much...but I watched every Iowa WBB game I could just to watch Clark.

She obviously has to adjust to the pro game, but she's leading all rookies in scoring. She's basically getting the Jordan Rules treatment that the Pistons used to use against Michael Jordan.

She is getting jealous attention from WNBA players who are jealous of the attention she gets. Several of them are also envious of her Nike NIL deal, which is reportedly around $38 million.

The league isn't going up allow the other players to thug her up indefinitely. She is their biggest draw. Game attendence for WNBA averages around 7,000 per game. Fever games average around 17,000 including road games.

Funny thing is her haters are increasing her value as a player and endorser with all the negative press and attention. Self-fulfilling prophecy type of situation.
The league really should hope she stays 100% healthy for many years. Expect flagrant fouls on Clark to result in heavy officiating against the other team going forward. If I am WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert I would make sure Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA for a long time. If CC gets hurt, imagine the potential value growth of every team suddenly gone.

 

[SpookyAction]

Other players did say that about Michael Jordan in the 80s. Bill Laimbeer immediately comes to mind.

Fun fact. I was reading up to remind myself of Laimbeer's success as a WNBA coach, and found a cool little piece of trivia on wikipedia.

Bill Laimbeer Was a Sleestak​

Apparently the producers hired basketball players from Laimbeer's HS B-Ball team for tall actors.

 

[KoachKrab127]

Fun fact. I was reading up to remind myself of Laimbeer's success as a WNBA coach, and found a cool little piece of trivia on wikipedia.

Bill Laimbeer Was a Sleestak​

Apparently the producers hired basketball players from Laimbeer's HS B-Ball team for tall actors.
View attachment 646463

That’s awesome! I used to watch the 90s “Land of the Lost” when I was a kid. The sleestaks were pretty scary.

 

[n_huffhines]

Other players did say that about Michael Jordan in the 80s. Bill Laimbeer immediately comes to mind.

You realize he was the ultimate villain and the point is this is villain behavior, right? However, you got a link? I remember him calling Jordan whiney but I don't remember that.

 

[n_huffhines]

NBC's probably kicking themselves in the dick over CC not making the olympic team.

I'm not gonna pretend I know if she's good enough to make it, but I doubt the other guards are commanding double and triple teams off ball.

From a marketing standpoint, Team USA really f'd up.

Edit: word is she wouldn't have played much (which seems reasonable) and they were worried about a frenzy of media and public freaking out that she wasn't getting playing time.

 

[508mikey]

NBC's probably kicking themselves in the dick over CC not making the olympic team.

I'm not gonna pretend I know if she's good enough to make it, but I doubt the other guards are commanding double and triple teams off ball.

From a marketing standpoint, Team USA really f'd up.

Excuse was she missed the tryouts because Iowa was in the NCAA T