The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon

[princekwekua]

Yesterday in Chicago. The Chicago Sky featuring Angel Reese vs Indiana Fever featuring CC. Reese had her best game as a rookie: 25 points, 16 rebounds. Sky 88, Fever 87 in a thriller.
The other sub plot was Camila Cardoso of the Sky vs Aaliyah Boston of the Fever. The two were teammates on South Carolina Gamecocks team.
Fever is leading the series 2-1 with the last game coming on August 30. That game will definitely be at the United Center, which was occupied this time for a concert.
AR vs CC. Cardoso vs Boston. These rivalries are going to define the WNBA for a generation

 

[princekwekua]

What people like you are doing with Clark is skewing the facts and reality.

Clark is a trash talker and conducts herself in an unsportsmanlike way. The people want to know why is she cheered and rewarded for taunting and trash talking, but any other person doing this would be punished or be regarded negatively?

For Tiger, there was always a racial conversation around him, but the was no social media in 1996 to freely discuss it.
He went on Oprah and came up with the term Cablinasian. There was always a racial dynamic with Tiger. But the difference is Tiger is(was) a class act inside out. And that is what Caitlin lacks, Class.

I am not talking about racism, which Tiger certainly faced. I am talking about why Nike signed both Tiger and CC. Both were signed because of their skills and popularity. Not for any other reason is my point. Get it???

BTW, Tiger was many things. But a guy who cheated with over a dozen women while married cannot be described as a class act.

 

[princekwekua]

There's no double standard. Considering inflation and how much sports contracts have ballooned, what she signed for is about 1/20th of what Tiger got, if that.

Tiger was a worldwide phenomenon. He was like The Beatles of golf. Guaranteed nobody outside of the US knows who she is, let alone care.

There you go again. Shooting from the hip without thinking.

Some people are saying Nike signed Caitlin Clark because she is white. Nike signed her because she is going to generate a lot sales for them. Nike also signed Tiger then because of his ability to generate sales. Race was not a factor and no one brought it up then. That is the double standard I am referring to, if you understand the meaning of that term.

BTW, Nike has dropped Tiger because he no longer has the ability to bring in significant business. In other words, as someone famously said: its business, not personal.

 

[jalimon]

She wouldn't even crack a minor league normal team.

Much like those national soccer woman's teams who lose badly to 14 year old regional elite boys teams.

when you know shit about soccer... do not write about soccer.

Its perfectly normal that an elite 14 year old club beats the woman national team. So what? They beat them on physicality. But women have the same knowledge of the game.

 

[NotADcotor]

when you know shit about soccer... do not write about soccer.

Its perfectly normal that an elite 14 year old club beats the woman national team. So what? They beat them on physicality. But women have the same knowledge of the game.

My my are we not a cultist.

We are not talking about a 2 to 1 either but massive victories.

So what if they beat them on skill or physical, they still did. Losing 5 to 2 or even as the Aussies did 7-0 is still bad. They just can't play at them men's level. The physical aspect is still part of the game. You are the one who doesn't not shit about sport and are too wrapped up in your nonsense to see things clearly.
Part of the product on the field is speed and power. Nobody would pay significant money to watch of league of 60 year old players play soccer or hockey [except maybe Gordie Howe and or except for nostalgia purposes,] because even if they have decades more experience than the 20 year old young bucks, they just are not very good any more

Pretty sure you mistyped it, but yeah OK, SAME knowledge of the game. That would be pretty sad.

 

[jalimon]

My my are we not a cultist.

We are not talking about a 2 to 1 either but massive victories.

So what if they beat them on skill or physical, they still did. Losing 5 to 2 or even as the Aussies did 7-0 is still bad. They just can't play at them men's level. The physical aspect is still part of the game. You are the one who doesn't not shit about sport and are too wrapped up in your nonsense to see things clearly.
Part of the product on the field is speed and power. Nobody would pay significant money to watch of league of 60 year old players play soccer or hockey [except maybe Gordie Howe and or except for nostalgia purposes,] because even if they have decades more experience than the 20 year old young bucks, they just are not very good any more

Pretty sure you mistyped it, but yeah OK, SAME knowledge of the game. That would be pretty sad.

Women's sport is bringing on a different crowd of... That consists mostly of women!! You can continue with your misogyny it won't stop it. Clark brought a lot of completely new fans to the game of basketball (including me!).

Just like women's soccer is filling up stadiums. Up to record level in Europe. Women's elite soccer is as much fun as men to watch. Seeing the pass that a Bonmati, Lavelle or Sophia Smith can deliver shows they have the same vision as the men. Yes they have less physical power (yet the second fastest penalty kick of 2023 among pro men and women was scored by Chloe Kelly of the UK!) but it's still amazingly entertaining. And on top of that they are much better looking than the men

 

[richaceg]

I've seen some numerous reports online, there's a lot of disdain for Caitlin because of numerous reasons...
- She broke a lot of collegiate records.
- She's white in a majority black athelete sports (probably happens when the roles are reversed)
- She's also straight in a majority lesbian athlete sports...
- There's tremendous jealousy around because she's getting a lot of buzz plus that 28M nike deal (first in WNBA)
Honestly...there are a lot of better players in the WNBA than Caitlin...but i don't think anybody shoots better than her...she's not just a catch and shoot...she can make her 3s off the dribble, dish assists like the best of them...overall...I think where she really excels is her understanding of the game....her IQ is very high + she's got good ball handling + good shooting = a makings of a superstar... think about steve nash and jason kid...athletic enough but where they excel is their ball handling, shooting and IQ...

There's also a lot of noise that she's going to be a bust...so far she's proving the critics wrong...and fans like that...

 

[DesRicardo]

I am not talking about racism, which Tiger certainly faced. I am talking about why Nike signed both Tiger and CC. Both were signed because of their skills and popularity. Not for any other reason is my point. Get it???

BTW, Tiger was many things. But a guy who cheated with over a dozen women while married cannot be described as a class act.

That's why I put "was" in brackets. He was golden when he was younger.

Why even make this statement mentioning race below?

But when Tiger Woods stormed to the scene and benifited immensely from huge multiple endorsements, no one said it was because he is black.

 

[shack]

IMO, every women's team sport is less interesting to watch than men's because of the lesser speed, strength and physicality. (Watching women's sports because of the sexuality/skimpy outfits should be excluded from this discussion. We're talking sports, not pussy.)

Basketball, hockey, soccer baseball, American football are all vastly inferior in terms of entertainment value. There is absolutely no match to the men. The one exception may be Women's Roller Derby. That's still fun to watch. LOL

Individual sports is a mixed bag. Women's tennis, boxing, MMA, most Olympic field events, and probably golf are inferior. I'd say alpine skiing, speed skating, figure skating, swimming and some track events (100 and 200 metre) are on par. Some are close to but not quite equal. I'd say volleyball, high diving, cycling, short track skating, ski jumping, gymnastics.

And just to show I'm objective there are sports where the women are vastly superior. In particular, I'd include synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics where they wave those pretty ribbons around.

What we are given to watch is highly influenced by political correctness, not what events would draw higher audiences if based solely on athleticism. As just one example, unless there is a very compelling matchup, men's tennis almost always outdraws women's tennis on TV and live. One must look at attendance for a tournament, not an individual match.

 

[princekwekua]

That's why I put "was" in brackets. He was golden when he was younger.

Why even make this statement mentioning race below?

Because some people are saying CC was signed because she is white when Tiger's race was never mentioned as a factor in his signing.
Are you missing a few cells? How long is it going to take you to understand this simple statement?

This is what you said: "But the difference is Tiger is(was) a class act inside out." Using "is" and "was" in the same sentence is meaningless. Tiger has never been a class act regardless of era. As recently as February 2023, he slipped a tampon to Justin Thomas when he outdrove him during the first round of a tournament. "If I offended anyone in any shape or form, I am sorry. It was friends having fun. We play pranks on one another all the time." Your classy guy said by way of explanation.

Tiger Woods is the second greatest golfer to player the game. I enjoyed watching him play immensely. But he is a mean SOB who treated people badly. Look up Erica Herman, his ex-girlfriend who gave up everything to nurture him back to health after his horrific car accident. No classy guy, him.

 

[DesRicardo]

Because some people are saying CC was signed because she is white when Tiger's race was never mentioned as a factor in his signing.
Are you missing a few cells? How long is it going to take you to understand this simple statement?

Get you story straight. Are you making a racial comment or not?

I explained both situations.

 

[princekwekua]

Fever vs. Sky breaks record again for most-watched WNBA game in 23 years

The Chicago Sky’s 88-87 victory on Sunday over the Indiana Fever averaged 2.302 million viewers on ESPN, per the company.

www.nytimes.com

Chicago Sky vs Indiana Fever on Sunday pulled 2.302 million viewers on ESPN, the most watched WNBA game in 23 years. By comparison, the Mets vs the Cubs also on ESPN that evening pulled in just 1.58 million viewers. WNBA crushes MLB.

 

[princekwekua]

Fan voting for the WNBA all star game is in:

Aja Wilson - 217,773
Caitlin Clark - 216,427
Aliyah Boston - 171,864
Breanna Stewart - 151,984
Arike Ogunbowale - 130,838

Last year at this time, the highest vote getter was also Aja Wilson. But she had just a little over 35,000 votes.

Wonder who is responsible for the massive increase in fan engagement

 

[onomatopoeia]

...Tiger has never been a class act regardless of era. ...

Tiger Woods has a reputation for being REALLY cheap when it comes to tipping. This is a big reason why people in the service industry have provided gossip about him to the tabloids.

'Class acts' like Frank Sinatra were always generous to waiters, bellhops, baggage handlers at airports, etc. This is why those people never saw anything, when they saw something.

 

[shack]

Fan voting for the WNBA all star game is in:

Aja Wilson - 217,773
Caitlin Clark - 216,427
Aliyah Boston - 171,864
Breanna Stewart - 151,984
Arike Ogunbowale - 130,838

Last year at this time, the highest vote getter was also Aja Wilson. But she had just a little over 35,000 votes.

Wonder who is responsible for the massive increase in fan engagement

How many votes do players get for NBA all-star games?

 

[jalimon]

How many votes do players get for NBA all-star games?

why the comparison? Leave woman sport to woman.

 

[princekwekua]

Fan voting for the WNBA all star game is in:

Aja Wilson - 217,773
Caitlin Clark - 216,427
Aliyah Boston - 171,864
Breanna Stewart - 151,984
Arike Ogunbowale - 130,838

Last year at this time, the highest vote getter was also Aja Wilson. But she had just a little over 35,000 votes.

Wonder who is responsible for the massive increase in fan engagement

Final WNBA fan vote tally:

• Caitlin Clark (Fever): 700,735 votes
• Aaliyah Boston (Fever): 618,680 votes
• A'ja Wilson (Los Angeles Sparks): 607,300 votes
• Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty): 424,135 votes
• Angel Reese (Chicago Sky): 381,518 votes

Aja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are on Team USA (The Olympic team). Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are both All Stars and going to be teammates on Team WNBA.
The All Star game on July 20 in Phoenix will pit Team WNBA against Team USA. Game sold out long time ago

 

[princekwekua]

The Las Vegas Aces play to capacity crowds of about 10,000. With Caitlin Clark coming to town, the game was moved to the T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights play. 20,333 fans showed up. The Caitlin Clark phenomenon rages on.

 

[shack]

why the comparison? Leave woman sport to woman.

Just exploring how much of a phenomenon is going on here both in terms of one particular player and within the sport of basketball as a whole.

I believe you were making a comparison when you said, and I quote: It is estimated that women's basketball could have been the most viewed sport at the Olympics. But instead will be played in its regular anonymity.

 

[jalimon]

Just exploring how much of a phenomenon is going on here both in terms of one particular player and within the sport of basketball as a whole.

I believe you were making a comparison when you said, and I quote: It is estimated that women's basketball could have been the most viewed sport at the Olympics. But instead will be played in its regular anonymity.

It's nowhere near the men in terms of numbers if you compare NBA to WNBA. But that does not really matter. What matters is the WNBA is attracting new viewers (meaning new viewers to basketball in general or new viewers to the WNBA). And just like women in soccer a good proportion of these viewers are now women. Catlin Clark is currently filling up all the venues she goes. She is not (yet) the best player but she is refreshing and fun to watch.

The Olympics are a bit different in regards to broadcast. Catlin would have drawn a lot of viewers. A bit like in soccer in past olympics the audience was quadruple when the USA was playing because everyone wanted to watch Alex Morgan (and the lbgtq to watch Megan Rapino but that is another story ). Overall the olympics are quite boring to watch except for a few events (which are usually very short race). But a few other events at the olympics will draw big crowd just to watch specific athletes.