https://redstate.com/brandon_morse/2024/12/13/we-need-to-talk-about-caitlin-clarks-white-privilege-comments-n2183181… This was an interesting take on Clark statements about white privilege and what makes more interesting is that Washinton Mystic owner demanded the entire league should be honored. Clark essentially gave the WNBA what they wanted, a bend of her knee and her reward was an owner who runs one of the worst team in the WNBA bitching she won the sports woman of the year.
the deal Clarks essentially gave the WNBA a second chance to be relevant as a major league. Without the NBA, there is no WNBA and without Clark, no one would even care about the WNBA. Her impact on college is still there as Iowa women still sell out and Lucy Olsen transfer to Iowa for her last year because it presented her an opportunity to be part of a developing elite program. She made college women basketball something worth watching. Mystic owner should knee to Clark and say thank you since a third of her attendance occurred when the Fevers showed up. The other times no one even cared about the Mystic. When the Fevers were in the playoffs, they averaged more than double what the rest of the teams did. The WNBA championship was seen by half of the audience compared to Fever short playoff run. Clark is the reason why people even cared about the WNBA, and she allowed fans to see other stars. Sabrina Ionescu did appear in NBA three shots competition in a face to face with Curry but beyond that I doubt most fans including many basketball fans could name a WNBA player. Clark took a franchise that averaged 4,000 fans to sell outs this past season and now Indiana Fever moved to upper half of franchise worth and without Clark, WNBA doesn’t even expand. So, Clark next year helped create 12 new jobs.
WNBA is at a fork in the road, where they can move to becoming a major league or be back into irrelevancy. Right now, they are pursing the latter. WNBA has a super star that can lead the league into the next level where they can even make money without subsidies from the NBA. Clark lifted an entire league on her shoulder and made this past summer, WNBA something to actually care about. NBA has seen its own ratings drop and they have their own issues, and WNBA may lose their main support. That will mean Clark takes her talent overseas and no one will even see a professional American woman basketball player and how many will even care when the next Olympics come about women basketball. Without Clark, no one would even know who the other players were or care.
As it was US women Olympic team messed up when they didn’t include Clark but then most sports fans had some familiarity since they already competed against Clark. Clark can save the WNBA and unrivaled 3 on 3 wanted Clark so badly they were offering some big money because they knew if Clark played, they make bigger money and higher ratings. WNBA needs Clark more than Clark needs them. For Clark, the WNBA allows her to show the world she is one of the best women players but for the WNBA, she is the different if they succeed or simply fade away.
The Donelson Files 