Guest post by Joe Hoft at JoeHoft.com – republished with permission.
The WNBA is cooking the golden goose – but you can’t say they were not warned.
The national women’s basketball league was blessed when the best women’s basketball player in history ended her career at Iowa breaking virtually every scoring and assist records in NCAA women’s basketball history.
Her name is Caitlin Clark. She brought viewers to women’s basketball that never followed the game before. She was fantastic and fun to watch. She was a breathe of fresh air during this terrible time in our country’s history.
The great Jason Whitlock loves Caitlin Clark because she is so good.
Jason Whitlock Crowns Caitlin Clark
“Basketball is a black sport and this little white girl is dominating!!! Caitlin Clark is like the underdog ⭐️ She’s something unexpected. That’s why we love her.” pic.twitter.com/Pnokdsqi7h
— liveXclique (@liveXclique) April 23, 2024
Whitlock also warned about the attacks Clark would receive for being white, Christian and straight. He predicted, “She’s going to walk into an extremely hostile environment.”
This is the Caitlin Clark discussion you won’t hear anywhere else. She could be the player to raise the profile of the WNBA, but she is walking into a very hostile environment for a heterosexual white girl. pic.twitter.com/2sz48jTJZs
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) February 6, 2024
Whitlock was right.
The WNBA foolishly claims the reason for the increase in viewership this year is because of the outstanding players in the league.
The truth is no one watched a WNBA game for years before Caitlin Clark stepped on the court.
Clarke played in the four most-watched games in women’s NCAA basketball history. The women’s championship was watched by more viewers than the men’s game.
She is doing the same in the WNBA. Tuesday’s opener for the Indianapolis Fever was the most-watched WNBA game in ESPN history, and it was aired on ESPN2.
But unfortunately the WNBA doesn’t realize the opportunity they have or what exactly is going on.
Many Americans don’t agree with the destruction that BLM riots created across the country in 2020. They don’t want to see politics in sports. Yet, in the first game that Caitlin Clark played in the WNBA, a pre-season game, the halftime entertainment was a discussion between two WNBA players on racism. Americans don’t want that force fed to them when they tune in to watch a game!
After joining the league, Clark pushed for charter flights for the players who had been traveling commercial. She did this for the league, but the girls didn’t seem to care. Perhaps Whitlock was right?
Caitlin Clark Effect: WNBA will begin charter flights! 5 days ago, CC was asked abt flights. See her response in video. THIS is why I say ppl whining abt attention CC gets & calling WNBA racist need to grow up. EVERYONE benefits from her talent. “A rising tide lifts all boats.” pic.twitter.com/79kv4AZQGO
— Adrienne Ross (@Adrienne2012) May 8, 2024
On the first charter flight for the WNBA, Caitlin Clark noticeably sat by herself on the plane. The girls on her team and across the league were blessed with charter flights thanks to Clark.
In the video below, Clark’s teammate calls the team “gang members”.
Caitlin Clark makes her WNBA debut tonight & her team received their first charter flight ever. pic.twitter.com/XA1TEuSTMb
— Daily Athlete (@idailyathlete) May 14, 2024
The team went on to lose the first game. Clark scored 20 points but was forced to sit on the bench because of being called for four fouls that didn’t look like fouls at all. Clark, who never got in foul trouble her entire season in the NCAA, received four fouls that night!
On Thursday night, the refs called Clark for five fouls. She ended the game with only nine points. Sports fans have never seen Clark score so few points. The calls by the refs were again very questionable while the fouls against Clark appeared to be ignored. Could the refs be jealous and biased as well as the players?
This could be the case, but the person who is really sticking out for her performance is the coach Christie Sides. Why is she not allowing Clark to play the position that she played in college? Why does Clark not see the ball? Why is Clark not shooting more? Does this coach know what she is doing?
Clark’s fellow players are also to blame. The center, Alijah Boston, who won Rookie of the Year last year, looks horrible. She is slow and out of shape and is getting her shots blocked left and right from two feet away from the basket. She went 5 for 15 on Thursday within feet of the rim.
Social media is blowing up over the Indiana Fever’s loss last night to New York. Americans see that the WNBA is totally blowing it.
“Wow, they’re not letting her touch the ball…this is nuts!”
The golden goose is getting cooked.
The sweet, talented Iowa girl who helped bring in a charter flight for the entire league is being attacked from all directions. She is projected to bring in $100 million to the league this year, yet her coach isn’t giving her the ball. Her teammates and players around the league are jealous of her and resent her. The refs are calling horrible fouls against her, and the WNBA pushes racist discussions at halftime.
