Everything WNBA

[DanH]

I mean, I'm not saying that this is the reason why but this forum has never had a WNBA thread before. There's one now in Clark's rookie year. Coincidence?

Viewership this year has spiked over 200% from last year. This year's draft was the most watched draft in history. Indiana Fever games are massive even though they're HISTORICALLY bad.

You think this is all a coincidence huh?

I call it the Caitlin Clark effect.

Uhh, yes, there is a Clark effect.

But there had to be growth beforehand to let the league take this leap. And there was.

[MixxAOR]

[The Great One]

Uhh, yes, there is a Clark effect.

But there had to be growth beforehand to let the league take this leap. And there was.

This whole discussion started after Angel Reese's comment. None of the NEW fans tune into the WNBA to watch Angel Reese play. That's just a fact.

Growth? of course there was growth before Clark arrived but not like this.

If any of you disagree, if any of you are tuning into the WNBA to watch Reese play then let me know here.

[DanH]

This whole discussion started after Angel Reese's comment. None of the NEW fans tune into the WNBA to watch Angel Reese play. That's just a fact.

Growth? of course there was growth before Clark arrived but not like this.

If any of you disagree, if any of you are tuning into the WNBA to watch Reese play then let me know here.

If the game was already growing, there's every reason to expect that some of those new fans would have been here even without Clark. Even though a lot of them are indeed here for Clark.

I mean, WNBA twitter has been absolutely full of people who watch more WNBA than you or I who are consistently saying that the existing players are right, and that many WNBA fans are indeed tuning in for them and not just for Clark, and that there was already strong growth happening because of these athletes, and that they should get credit for that while also acknowledging the huge impact Clark is having on the league. And that the last thing you'd want from any athlete in any sport is to bow down to incoming talent, no matter how good or beneficial for the game they are. These are competitors - even if they didn't have a point (and they do), you wouldn't expect any other response from them than to scorn the incoming star and make them earn everything.

[golden]

[Primer]

This whole discussion started after Angel Reese's comment. None of the NEW fans tune into the WNBA to watch Angel Reese play. That's just a fact.

Growth? of course there was growth before Clark arrived but not like this.

If any of you disagree, if any of you are tuning into the WNBA to watch Reese play then let me know here.

I'm with Great One here. You don't get double or triple attendance at Clark games unless she doubled or tripled the audience. Clark also plays for the shittiest team in the league which makes these numbers even more impressive.

Dan posted the league had a 25% spike in viewership last year and this year it's up 200% on that number. That's all Clark. Not even sure why anyone is trying to debate that it's silly.

[DanH]

I'm with Great One here. You don't get double or triple attendance at Clark games unless she doubled or tripled the audience. Clark also plays for the shittiest team in the league which makes these numbers even more impressive.

Dan posted the league had a 25% spike in viewership last year and this year it's up 200% on that number. That's all Clark. Not even sure why anyone is trying to debate that it's silly.

My point is that if they had a 25% spike last year, wouldn't it be reasonable to say 175% of that is because of Clark and 25% was possibly going to be there anyway?

My additional point is if the current group hadn't improved the league's visibility and women's game in general to the point that they had, Clark might not have had the chance to bring the league to where it is now. That's the whole point the existing players are making - they've been dragging the game to get to the point where this Clark phenomenon is possible.

This all started from some people suggesting players should be treating Clark with kid gloves because they owe her so much. Sounds like a great way to kill the league rather than capitalize on the increased popularity coming from the existing growth of the game and the Clark phenomenon.

[Primer]

My point is that if they had a 25% spike last year, wouldn't it be reasonable to say 175% of that is because of Clark and 25% was possibly going to be there anyway?

My additional point is if the current group hadn't improved the league's visibility and women's game in general to the point that they had, Clark might not have had the chance to bring the league to where it is now. That's the whole point the existing players are making - they've been dragging the game to get to the point where this Clark phenomenon is possible.

This all started from some people suggesting players should be treating Clark with kid gloves because they owe her so much. Sounds like a great way to kill the league rather than capitalize on the increased popularity coming from the existing growth of the game and the Clark phenomenon.

175 / 25 = 7X viewership growth over the existing growth rate entirely due to Clark.

Clark brought insane growth to the college game as well.

WNBA was limping along entirely subsidized by the NBA, now it's relevant and maybe even turning a profit, something unfathomable before Clark.

The other players owe a massive amount to Clark. She is like Bird, Magic, and Jordan all rolled into one with how much popularity she has bright to the game. Ask an average person of they can name a WNBA player and it's likely just Clark. Maybe Greiner because of he escapade in Russia and not due to her basketball.

They can cheap shot her all they want, extremely petty and unnecessary, but they still owe all these eyeballs to Clark.

We're there cheap shots like this in the WNBA last year? I don't know and I bet no one here does because we all weren't watching.

[DanH]

175 / 25 = 7X viewership growth over the existing growth rate entirely due to Clark.

Clark brought insane growth to the college game as well.

WNBA was limping along entirely subsidized by the NBA, now it's relevant and maybe even turning a profit, something unfathomable before Clark.

The other players owe a massive amount to Clark. She is like Bird, Magic, and Jordan all rolled into one with how much popularity she has bright to the game. Ask an average person of they can name a WNBA player and it's likely just Clark. Maybe Greiner because of he escapade in Russia and not due to her basketball.

They can cheap shot her all they want, extremely petty and unnecessary, but they still owe all these eyeballs to Clark.

We're there cheap shots like this in the WNBA last year? I don't know and I bet no one here does because we all weren't watching.

Um yes 100% there were and everyone who watches the WNBA (which is still a lot of people even excluding the newbies) has been telling you that.

[Primer]

Um yes 100% there were and everyone who watches the WNBA (which is still a lot of people even excluding the newbies) has been telling you that.

Luka talks tons of shit every game and NBA players aren't punching him in the face. Not sure why Clark has to be treated differently. It's a bad look for the WNBA. Maybe it does bring more eyeballs though, but for the wrong reasons.

[DanH]

Luka talks tons of shit every game and NBA players aren't punching him in the face. Not sure why Clark has to be treated differently. It's a bad look for the WNBA. Maybe it does bring more eyeballs though, but for the wrong reasons.

Yeah, I mean, you definitely don't watch the WNBA. They play real rough. I'm not actually sure how closely you watch the NBA. Guys get hit like Clark has been getting hit all the time. Heck sometimes guys actually throw punches - which Clark has not actually been on the receiving end of (yet) - she's just taking some hard fouls.

It's really not a bad look. It's bad reporting, sure. People that regularly report on the WNBA have been outspoken about how this isn't really odd. It's the new blood reporters who haven't bothered watching any WNBA prior to Clark that are making this into a whole thing. And absolutely zero people would be making a fuss if an NBA rookie went through similar hits.

From what I can tell watching the hard core WNBA fan and coverage community, the quickest way to tell whether someone has any idea what they are talking about re: the WNBA, is to see if they are upset about this Clark stuff. For the most part it's blowhards, racists, misogynists and the uninformed new folks that are making a fuss. I'm pretty sure it's the latter in here. But not a grouping I'd be eager to lump myself in with.

Seriously, go back, look at the couple of highlights of "cheap shots" posted in this thread, and tell me you would be raising a fuss over this if an NBA player had those plays happen to them. Not a chance. You'd be pissed at the refs for missing a call if they didn't call it, but that would be the end of it.

[The Great One]

Yeah, I mean, you definitely don't watch the WNBA. They play real rough. I'm not actually sure how closely you watch the NBA. Guys get hit like Clark has been getting hit all the time. Heck sometimes guys actually throw punches - which Clark has not actually been on the receiving end of (yet) - she's just taking some hard fouls.

It's really not a bad look. It's bad reporting, sure. People that regularly report on the WNBA have been outspoken about how this isn't really odd. It's the new blood reporters who haven't bothered watching any WNBA prior to Clark that are making this into a whole thing. And absolutely zero people would be making a fuss if an NBA rookie went through similar hits.

From what I can tell watching the hard core WNBA fan and coverage community, the quickest way to tell whether someone has any idea what they are talking about re: the WNBA, is to see if they are upset about this Clark stuff. For the most part it's blowhards, racists, misogynists and the uninformed new folks that are making a fuss. I'm pretty sure it's the latter in here. But not a grouping I'd be eager to lump myself in with.

Seriously, go back, look at the couple of highlights of "cheap shots" posted in this thread, and tell me you would be raising a fuss over this if an NBA player had those plays happen to them. Not a chance. You'd be pissed at the refs for missing a call if they didn't call it, but that would be the end of it.

I guess one of the most historic coach(if not the most historic coach) in women's college basketball history Geno Auriemma is a blowhard, racist, misogynist and completely misinformed? I'm pretty sure he's watched more women's basketball game than any of us here combined.

I'm not going back and watch any highlights. I've watched 2-3 FULL Fever games this year. How many games have you watched? these players are intentionally targeting Clark. They are trying to hurt her period. Reese's reaction when Carter cheap shotted Clark, do you think that was normal? just stop.

[DanH]

LOL of course they are targeting her. She has a target on her back, like any incoming superstar would. Like previous WNBA stars had. But all the new eyes don't know this isn't a new thing.

I agree with what the coach is saying - a lot of this is just normal incoming star stuff. And there's some targeting going on specifically because this is the biggest incoming-star effect the WNBA has ever seen, with a perfect storm of an extremely high profile rookie, a game that's already on a huge upswing, and a broad-reach reporter base and new fan base that is too green to know that the way they treat the Clark discourse will only make things worse for her.

Oh, you've watched three whole games??? Yeah I'm definitely going to take your word over the huge number of people who have covered the league for years saying that although the rough stuff is on the edge, it's hardly anything shocking compared to what the WNBA has always been. I think that Carter hit, which definitely crossed that line, was the exception, not the rule by any means. And almost everyone with a head on their shoulders and any experience with the league agrees.

[The Great One]

LOL of course they are targeting her. She has a target on her back, like any incoming superstar would. Like previous WNBA stars had. But all the new eyes don't know this isn't a new thing.

I agree with what the coach is saying - a lot of this is just normal incoming star stuff. And there's some targeting going on specifically because this is the biggest incoming-star effect the WNBA has ever seen, with a perfect storm of an extremely high profile rookie, a game that's already on a huge upswing, and a broad-reach reporter base and new fan base that is too green to know that the way they treat the Clark discourse will only make things worse for her.

Oh, you've watched three whole games??? Yeah I'm definitely going to take your word over the huge number of people who have covered the league for years saying that although the rough stuff is on the edge, it's hardly anything shocking compared to what the WNBA has always been. I think that Carter hit, which definitely crossed that line, was the exception, not the rule by any means. And almost everyone with a head on their shoulders and any experience with the league agrees.

LOL. It's basketball. You make it sound like they're playing a different sport. I've been watching basketball a long time. I know what's intentional and what's not. The fact that I have LeBron James and Geno Auriemma on my side. That's good enough for me.

You said you'd take the word of the people who've covered the league for years? that's cool. I don't need a reporter to tell me what's foul or not.

I know a lot of NBA reporters who have been covering the league for years and most of them don't know shit about what they're talking about.

[Primer]

You gotta watch WNBA for the fundamentals!

Seriously though, what the hell is Reese doing here?