The problem with the NBA ... and the NFL ... and the WNBA ... is the thug element. There was a time, back when the colleges still had standards (or at least pretended to), that the colleges kept most of the trash out of the professional game. But the colleges sold out long ago. TV and gambling interests now own sports, and they don’t care. Neither, apparently, do most viewers, although at least a few viewers are starting to rebel. Which is a good thing.
Women’s sports are relatively less infested with the thug element than men’s sports, although it is creeping in. In women’s sports, the situation is compounded by militant rainbow warriors. The truth is, nobody cares that lesbians play sports and are probably statistically overrepresented in women’s sports, but fans resent sports being turned into platforms for hateful people’s ranting. The USWNT was America’s team until Megan Rapinoe poisoned the well; now that Rapinoe has retired, it will take a generation to recover — and it will be hard because international women’s soccer continues to improve and the USWNT won’t be as dominant as it used to be. It’s not that the U.S. is slipping; the rest of the world is catching up.
Caitlin Clark is a remarkable player, and she is totally classy. She is the model of what all top tier athletes should be doing. The smart ones have always done this, regardless of race and sexual preference. The really stupid ones, by and large, didn’t used to get through college. But that screen is long gone, and the gambling and tv interests are perfectly happy with vulgar, stupid and violent people.
South Carolina is the cream of the crop again this year. But their center is a thug. The coach must be an excellent recruiter based on he record the last 4 years and now they are touting their recruitment of a great freshman class for next year.
I used to watch the NBA for years. But two things happened together. Jordan retired. But the worst was that the NBA started promoting rap “culture”. Stupid. It’s the middle aged white guys who buy the tickets and take their sons to the games, not gang bangers. And the simply horrible officiating is the icing on the shyt cake. Eff the NBA.