Posted on 08/04/2025 8:59:50 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Caitlin Clark has done for the Women’s National Basketball Association what Michael Jordan once did for the NBA—made it more valuable, watchable and marketable. Instead of protecting its transformative star, the league’s leadership ignores the relentless targeting of Ms. Clark, treating its greatest asset as if she were a PR headache. That approach could turn into a legal liability for the WNBA.
Since she joined the league last year, Ms. Clark’s impact has been seismic: Merchandise sales soared 601%, Indiana Fever viewership jumped 170%, the team’s value tripled, League Pass subscriptions climbed 366%, app engagement rose 613%, and her endorsements topped $11 million. She’s the economic engine driving the league forward.
Yet she routinely faces intentional hits, excessive fouling and uncalled abuse while referees look away. Teammate Sophie Cunningham said what fans already know: “The star player of the league is not being protected.” Ms. Clark herself noted: “Everybody is physical with me. They get away with things others don’t.” Three injuries have sidelined her for 10 games and the All-Star Game, with ratings plummeting 55% without her.
Is it because Ms. Clark is white? A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, a three-time league most valuable player, thinks so. She has said that race is a “huge thing” and that “it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.” Under civil-rights law, race-motivated patterns trigger scrutiny even without explicit discriminatory intent.
Systemic missed calls include viral replays of Ms. Clark being fouled multiple times in a single possession. “Every single one of them is a foul,” analyst Rebecca Lobo said. Ms. Clark absorbed 17% of flagrant fouls last season—double her peers’ rate. This isn’t merely bad officiating—it’s dangerous and unequal. She endures blindside checks and midair collisions—plays that trigger reviews in other leagues.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
She has the “privilege” of getting mugged on the court by racist black players.
You can’t make up this stuff.
She's probably not tough enough to do this.
They weren't nice to Michael Jordan when he first came in the league (especially Michael Jordan).
Also, you had teams intentionally fouling Shaq O'Neal at the end of the game to force him make all those free throws.
“The men playing in them made peanuts for decades. They were not massive salaries. There were no retirement packages, no shares, no nuttin.”
Where do you think the money came from to get these outrages salaries? They had to sell the sport. So they changed the game to create a product the public would like enough to pay the extra money. And to do that, they had bring something identifiable to the fans. And the major difference from “the old days” and the refined game to the rules was the alleviating of those rules that stymied scoring and violence.
Like I mentioned, the long shot was not being rewarded or singled out so they created the three point line. Players were getting away with the contact underneath, so they put in the no hack zone to increase offence. And they allowed players to use their bodies outside that zone to “make space,” and draw fouls, when shooting away from the basket. More points. Tack that on to certain players being protected from contact by putting in the rules about contact with the words, “just because there is contact doesn’t necessarily mean a foul.” And that is in every book from national federation to the NBA now.
It was not about the skills of the players. For every good offensive player, they also grew a good defensive player into the league, on purpose. So they changed the game to sell the seats. And did it with creating the gladiator appearance from the streets that the women don’t have. They’re still trying too hard to sell grace and hair pieces/eye shadow. And they have had 13 pro leagues in history fail for this. It’s not what the public expects in the game anymore. And they pay the bill.
wy69
“When was the last time you watched an NBA game?”
I will watch the NBA and the WNBA a couple of times a week. But I understand what the game is...it’s money. I have officiated the sport both in the states and internationally. I was a member of the National Federation of High Schools, the NCAA, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and I was asked to officiate as a back up for the NBA summer leagues in northern California while I was living there. I have worked with promotion people for the Sacramento Kings, and helped the Kings in their decision not to purchase the gymnasium at Mather AFB when the base was closed in the early 1990’s. I have also worked with the Oakland A’s people, the Golden State Warriors promotions, and two minor league baseball clubs in northern California.
Do I know the game? I officiated my first basketball game with youth in 1964. I have been on the floor after briefings from the NBA to protect the established stars during the summer leagues as they were the backbone of the profits. If they were there, they were working on something and weren’t really part of the tryouts the leagues were for. I have more than watched basketball at most levels. So I’ve seen and heard what it is.
But I have a question for you. Do you look for the off hand clear out, the contact at the ball, the illegal dribbles and traveling, and the off sight contact? It’s there and they even admit it. Take the time to utube it and you will see first hand some of the things done during a contest and on occasion ignored in live action. It’s not a game anymore. It’s a product. One created from the past to present to today’s audience based upon their needs and what they can understand to make it pay.
wy69
Rampant and never called.
How many Ukrainians and Syrians have been killed for the sake of that league’s top alleged woman?
I don’t remember watching the XFL.
I am not talking about other leagues Goodell might be doing. I’m saying he is trying to turn the NFL into the XFL.
“Rampant and never called.”
And there is a lot besides that. Some players use contact for their entire game. The most flagrant now is LeBron James. When he goes to the hoop he leans in and uses his off hand to clear a path...and never gets called. Shaq made a career out of it underneath. Jordan used his body to “make space” and shoot that midrange fallaway. Other names on the list, some still active, are Draymond Green, both Marcus and Markieff Morris, Chris Paul, Grayson Allen, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, Zaza Pachulia, Bruce Bowen, Dikembe Mutombo , Kelly Olynyk, Patrick Beverley, Dillon Brooks and a few more could come to light. Trust me they are there.
There are more examples of things the league has overlooked to get the seats filled. You just have to look for them and know the rulebook and case book to see them.
wy69
“CC agreed that she has “white privilege”.
Of course she said that. Trying to placate the league thugs who assault her daily. Last I checked privilege doesn’t include getting knocked down.
Perhaps I can help everyone out on this thread. Full disclosure I’m OK I became a fan after watching Caitlin Clark in college. Because of that I watch more than just that now so I can say without reservation that this is not about race.
Allow me to explain...
First, I’ll rattle off a few names for you that probably won’t ring a bell: Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, Cameron Brink, Kate Martin, Sophie Cunningham, Marina Mabrey - just to name a few.
These are some of the other ‘stars’ of this league worthy of mention. All are white, a couple of rookies, and there’s at least 3 straight ones in that bunch. The above mentioned females DO NOT get the same treatment as C.C. BTW, in that list there’s one in the lead for league MVP, and another shoe-in for Rookie of the Year.
If you many most of these women in public, you would not identify them. Ms. Clark has 24/7, Taylor Swift level security.
I believe the reason more than anything else, is ENVY. Sure, the black girls are gonna hate. But then again, there’s enough hatred between the black women to go around anyway.
Many of the WNBA players have then own social media pages. Some even have podcasts to boost their own image. Ms. Clark has none, yet is the most popular player, and there really isn’t a close second (although her teammate, Ms. Cunningham is catching up real fast). She had earned more in just endorsements than some teams’ entire payroll. Where ever the Indiana Fever goes, at least half the fans are their to see her - EVEN if she’s not playing.
Despite the claim of ‘white privilege’, she’s gotten anything but that since entering the league. In fact, some of her most brutal assaults this year has come from white women; notably Ms. Mabrey and her cohort, Jacy Sheldon (both white). I hear the ‘white privilege’ comment mentioned often here at FR. But when she is healthy and on the court, she literally embarrasses many of these so called black women (who think they actually run this league).
She is not them. Doesn’t hang in the same circles, avoids the online controversies, and when healthy, guarantees and extra 10 points toward victory and is a master at assists. When she brings the ball up, she gets double covered from the half court line - because they have to. She is so popular, teams move their games to larger arenas when her teams comes to town.
Last year, she made a simple request, which caused the league to fly everyone private instead of commercial. In less than 2 years, she has elevated the popularity of the sport to an international level.
All in spite of the absolutely disgusting behavior of both the league management and the players (both on and off the court). I think the other reason she is so hated in the league is because she is showing the nation how bad (and sick) some of these women really are.
One more thing, despite all the controversy and attacks against Caitlin’s entire team, they are currently the hottest team in ‘The W’. The unspoken word is that the Indiana Fever are ‘the adults in the room’ of spoiled brat little girls.
Yeah, I still watch the WNBA. Because like it or not, it’s less boring than major league baseball.
just my $0.02
jimjohn - OUT.
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