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Posted on 08/27/2026 6:12:07 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Caitlin Clark made the WNBA rich, but its players seem determined to destroy the league by turning women’s basketball into a violent spectacle.
A better name for the current Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) might be Women’s Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), given the growing performance-art violence that is now endemic in the league.
Prior to the 2024 arrival of then-22-year-old Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, very few people watched the WNBA.
Team franchises were worth less than $20 million. The league ran chronic deficits and was subsidized by the men’s professional basketball league, the National Basketball Association (NBA).
An unspoken subtext of the WNBA was that the owners and coaches were left-wing and made little effort to hide their political biases.
Despite talk of diversity, the league was—and remains—about 83 percent nonwhite and about 70 percent black.
Some media outlets have suggested that about 50 percent of the players are gay.
By Clark’s third year, her level of play had revolutionized the WNBA—or rather, saved it from financial collapse and cultural obscurity.
Economists have concluded that she has already infused $1 billion into the league through increased attendance, new media contracts, endorsements and sponsorships, and sports tourism.
Once-obscure players are now pampered and highly compensated.
Team franchises are now more than 20 times as valuable. In Caitlin Clark’s mere three years, the average team market value has soared to nearly $500 million.
Caitlin Clark did not revolutionize the WNBA by belonging to a white and heterosexual minority. Indeed, there are plenty of such players in the league.
Rather, in less than three years, she has proven to be arguably the greatest and most exciting female basketball player in history—hence the strange envy and hatred of her competitors.
Clark herself has already recorded more 30-point, 10-assist games than all other players in the
(Excerpt) Read more at amgreatness.com ...
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VDH Ping
I went to a fight and a WNBA game broke out.
The WNBA is a joke.
The WNBA coaches are a joke.
Most of the WNBA players are a joke.
The WNBA referees are a joke.
Team franchises were worth less than $20 million.
In Caitlin Clark’s mere three years, the average team market value has soared to nearly $500 million.
I had no clue the jump was that much. It makes zero sense that they're trying to kill the golden goose. But then, leftists don't know economics unless it comes from gubment.
It’s kind of sad. I live about 20 miles from UConn. The women’s team has been selling out their arena and even larger ones for decades. I was a sports photographer and had occasion to shoot several of their games. They were fun. It was good basketball; there was lots of fan involvement and little drama.
I’ve seen first hand where good teams, good management, and good promotion can create a program that makes really good money.
The WNBA has really screwed up this opportunity to build a good program.
Bring back mud wrastling.
In sum, the WWE (WNBA) has turned into a Roman Colosseum blood sport. Thousands now watch it nightly, in anger or glee that their popular heroes are bloodied—or may soon be even maimed or killed.
An unusual article by Prof Hanson, on a modern day minor sport. But he nails it!
FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR
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American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness
His website: Victor Davis Hanson The Sword of Perseus
One of his sponsors' website: The Daily Signal
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They could hire former ECW commentator Joey Styles to do the commentary: “CAAATTT FIGHTTTT!!!”
LOL! Lesbian Gladiator Style.
Are the teams actually making a profit, or is the increase in team sale price like the dot com boom? I didn’t see that being mentioned.
Th rumors say the Fever are not going to re-up Sophie at the end of the year because she’s become a distraction and embarrassment to the team.
WNBA Players Received Massive Increases Thanks to Caitlin Clark
What's her thanks? Beaten up, battered and assaulted on the court (while the refs look the other way).
https://joehoft.com/wnba-players-received-massive-increases-thanks-caitlin-clark/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wnba-players-received-massive-increases-thanks-caitlin-clark
She’s probably a bigger draw that Caitlan Clark, so I doubt it.
But, then again, they’re leftists.
That seems to be the problem. She’s attracting the wrong kind of folks.
Wrong kind of folks?
People who buy tickets and watch the games?
The WNBA is an unserious league.
Nobody pays attention to this league for its athleticism.
It’s basically Jerry Springer.
The WNBA fanbase was a small, exclusive ideological enclave of lesbians, who never wanted the WNBA to become more popular, because that would let the normies in.
The normies flooded in, for the first time, with Caitlin Clark, and later with Sophie Cunningham.
And the previous, small, exclusive, ideological enclave of lesbians are worried, because they know they’ll be swamped.
Dumb move, if true. Sophie is the distraction? Sophie? But Anal Grease, er, I mean, Angel Reese isn't? Sophie got more talent in her pointing finger that anal grease got in her whole body.
I have to smile on this article. I have officiated many games concerning women’s basketball and know the difference between the pro women’s games and the men’s to include the selling points.
Back in the 1950’s the men’s game started to transform. It went from a game of strategy and skill to more violent allowances and in some cases almost unlawful contact. And that tool to bring in crowds has grown to rediculous standards of acceptance. It is nothing more than professional wrestling on a bigger ring. Thus the players got bigger, stronger, faster, and meaner while the rules were used to shape it.
The women’s games in the early years of pro leagues were more like the pre 1950 men’s ball that provided that different look at the game. Variety was the spice of life. But they lacked the physical size and bodies to sell their sport in it’s morphing and they failed.
As a former official, I can display where the thinking has changed with one action being accepted. There’s more but this one is blatent. The word is that no one gets an uncontested lay up. So they foul them. A ways from the basket when someone grabs someone to stop the flow of the ball it is considered an intentional foul. Assessed when contact is deemed “unnecessary”. It results in two free throws for the fouled player and possession of the ball for their team. And violent contact, which happens often, by rule requires an ejection (flagrant). Seen it happen? That’s the rules, not my opinion.
So the level of violence has slowly been the selling point of the women’s game just like the men. Makes it hard to sell makeup and hair pieces as they drift down the floor looking for a victim. And they wonder why they hammer Clark. She has the most endorsements and makes the big money they could have. Sour grapes? St lest the cluib went out and got Kelsie Mitchell to take some heat off her. Clark’s assists are up and they are winning different. Celtics did he same thing when they drafted Bill Russell and KC Jones. Game changed.
wy69
I wish we’d hear more about Linda McMahon firing the Education department.
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