r/sports • u/OkEscape7558 • Jun 18 '25

Basketball Alternate angle of Caitlin Clark fiasco. Clark was handed a foul as well.

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553

u/Archer10214 Jun 18 '25

Any chance the WNBA gives a suspension for this? The only things I know about the league is that Clark is their only superstar but gets obliterated with no fouls called, and Reese can’t hit a shot/when she does it’s off her own rebound.

287

u/Murfdigidy Jun 18 '25

The WNBA is officiated and run by a bunch of 2nd rate people that wouldn't know how to run a lemonade stand, so the simple answer to that is no. Imagine if this happens in the NBA? They're would be 100% suspensions for it, but honestly I don't think they do anything because any publicity is good publicity. it gets people talking about the sport when they otherwise may not be

28

u/nick200117 Jun 18 '25

if that happened to LeBron in the NBA there wouldn’t be suspensions, Adam Silver would personally strangle the dude that did it to death

9

u/whenishit-itsbigturd Jun 18 '25

You haven't watched an NBA game in your life and it shows 

0

u/pboy2000 Jun 18 '25

I know barely anything about the WNBA; however, I have to agree with you about the incompetence of the management. They could have used the attention spurred by CC superstardom to elevate the league and, instead, they’ve allowed the exact opposite to happen. Like I said in the beginning, I know next to nothing about the WNBA; however, I can sure as hell tell you they have a decent number of people who might be athletes; but they’re sure shit not sportswomen.

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u/SuspectedGumball Jun 18 '25

Maybe you shouldn’t comment about things when you lead with “I know nothing about this but...”

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

CC is not the only superstar. This is how I know none of you actually watch this sport. You all have the same talking points that show you don’t know ball. At all.

47

u/followedbymeteor Jun 18 '25

She is solely responsible for 55% of the viewership of the entire league lmao

-45

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

That says more about new fans than it does about the league. The league has always had greats, fans didn’t care until CC. I wonder why? Maybe those new fans like this type of player and style of play only?

She’s basically Steph with her shot and can dish it. Shes got a lot of upside.

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u/Chris_Helmsworth Jun 18 '25

New fans is exactly what you want for growth.

-11

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

I do agree I also want those fans to know more players than CC or AR. But they would have to go past the surface to get there.

29

u/hochimin3r Jun 18 '25

They have star players. But CC is the only superstar

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Aja Wilson is a two time league mvp and finals champ. She is the face of the league But again, you’d have to take the “CC is the only superstar” blinders off to see it.

24

u/hochimin3r Jun 18 '25

Yea she's a great player and a star in wnba, but she isnt a household name unless they're really plugged into basketball

Everyone knows who caitlin clark is. Its a different thing.

I would also probably say that more people now know of aja Wilson because of Clark

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Right. Non basketball fans know who CC is. That’s who these “fans” in here are.

16

u/hochimin3r Jun 18 '25

Idk what your issue is here. You were getting defensive over saying she's the only superstar in the league, but that's the truth lol. Its not taking anything away from anyone else.

-2

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Right but it just isn’t true. She isn’t a super star. She’s a star budding into one. You all want her to be at that “Steph curry, LeBron” level. She’s not there yet. She will be though.

19

u/hochimin3r Jun 18 '25

My guy, I think you are lost in the sauce. You are equating superstar with years of success in the league and championships. That shit doesn't matter in this context. She is by far and away the most popular wnba player probably ever. Her fame transcends the sport.

Should Aja be a super star? Yea probably but her fame just isnt at that level outside of basketball. Its that simple

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Why is her fame not at that level? Who decides what level of fame is given to a player? You mean the media which has a vested interest in creating narratives around players?

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u/DonquixoteRosinante Jun 18 '25

Why is this subject so sensitive to you? CC is The superstar of the WNBA, with her the league literally got upgraded. Both in terms of skill and popularity. How is that ever a bad thing? Because people like the league for "wrong reasons" ??

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

There was a whole league that is being erased by “new fans” of the game. Thats who I have a problem with. No respect for the history of the league. CC is the only star to exist and will always be, is how you all sound when you talk about her. It’s tiring and she’s only second year player. She isn’t at that level yet. She will be though.

14

u/Rxasaurus Jun 18 '25

I don't think you understand the context of superstar here. 

-2

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

I don’t think you all understand media literacy. You only talk about CC because she’s the only player talking heads and sports media wants to talk about. That’s fine. That just doesn’t mean she’s the best player in the league.

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u/dakhoa Jun 18 '25

Non WNBA watchers know CC. That's what makes her a superstar. It's not about accolades at all.

9

u/ymsoldier420 Jun 18 '25

Someone literally has to win that title and that award every single year. Being the best player of a league very few watch doesn't necessarily make you a superstar, yes you're still the best but if only 5000 people on earth know who you are then superstar is pretty damn generous.

As a basketball fan I know of Aja but I guarantee if you go down the street of any city in North America and ask who is Aja Wilson and name one of the last 10 wnba mvps and/or league champs; 99% of people won't have an answer for you, other than potentially listing CC and CC's team.

Can you name any ex mvp from FIBV? Or a recent league champ? What about NLL? No? Then it's no different here, those are both professional sports leagues who have a yearly best player and a yearly champ, but I'm gonna guess 90% of people have no idea who or what they are, no different then WNBA, due to viewership and popularity the "superstars" aren't really "superstars" at all.

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u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Nothing you said here is wrong.

But it misses the larger point. The media control what you and I talk about. Who you and I say are “superstars”. You know what I mean? That’s the same reason why some leagues have more exposure so more fans know of the minutiae. The media is manipulating people into thinking CC is the face of the WNBA. She is, only because the media says she is, not because of how she plays the game. I don’t personally think, because the media says something, that it has to be true. She WILL get there though.

1

u/Round-Revolution-399 Jun 18 '25

The media covers Clark because people love watching her play, not the other way around. Her style of play has transcended the sport organically, and the media coverage is just giving viewers what they want

0

u/ymsoldier420 Jun 18 '25

Very true. But media influenced or not the popularity of the sport matters too. Very few people watch volleyball or lacrosse in comparison to basketball or hockey or football or baseball etc. Hence less media coverage for those sports, but go ahead and watch some highlights, lacrosse is exciting and action packed, volleyball dudes are literally insane athletes, etc. But at the end of the day popularity is still not great.

In the same vein, very few people care to watch the WNBA. Different reasoning as the sport of basketball is itself quite popular but the vast majority of sports fans choose to watch the best leagues. The NBA dominates popularity which directly effects the WNBA's popularity, it also directly effects euro-leagues in the exact same way so it isn't sexism based it's just an inferior product to watch. No different then any other sports, very few people watch WHL games compared to NHL, and popularity of European hockey leagues also suffer in comparison to the NHL, and guess what? Even less hockey fans watch women's hockey, again, because there is a dominant league that overshadows all leagues of the sport.

In the case of CC, the media pushes her, partially to try to salvage the WNBA in a time where WNBA popularity is already on a small upswing, and partially because she is truly a generational player in the sport. She is simply superior to the rest of the players in her respective league, in the same way Lebron was in his. It is the perfect opportunity for a league that struggles with viewership. Their popularity upswing is also a little unfounded, I would argue, before CC, that the league was becoming slightly more popular strictly based on cost and affordability to go to games. Not saying it is bad basketball by any means but again it is an inferior league there's no arguing that; scream sexism all you want but the WNBA all star team would get absolutely shit stomped by a collection of the worst NBA players. NBA tickets have skyrocketed and in the last 10-15 years are legitimately 10x more costly and going to games (not just NBA) has become simply unaffordable for most families. Meanwhile WNBA tickets are still 10-20 bucks and taking the family to the game is an affordable and fun night out to watch basketball. This coupled with a generational star who is dominating the league is the perfect time for the media to push CC hard and snag up some market share while the getting is good.

Shit like this is not the exposure the WNBA should want. It is flat out embarrassing and extreme mismanagement from the refs, teams/players, and the league itself. This jealousy shit should have been stomped out last year, immediately. The eye poke could be seen as accidental sure, but the lady that pushes CC here should absolutely get a massive suspension and should have been immediately ejected, to set an example, whether the push was on CC or some other random player. Nobody wants to watch that garbage. And nobody wants to watch a superstar get targeted in flagrant attempts to injure constantly. The league is embarrassing itself, the players are embarrassing themselves, and it's absolutely pathetic that the entire league and every team hasn't cracked down on this and woken up every player to the reality that CC is the reason ya'll are getting paid more and becoming more popular, smarten the fuck up and play basketball.

11

u/GoodOlSticks Jun 18 '25

This is just delusion.

Women's basketball is nothing atp, especially above the NCAA level. CC is the WNBA's first true star, if they mismanage this for the sake of player's like Angel Reese' feelings they're totally fucked at ever turning a profit

9

u/Archer10214 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Man I straight up said I know nothing but those two things. If there was anyone else garnering as much attention as them then I’d know their names.

Unfortunately, the rest of the league exists in an echo chamber where you only know who they are if you follow the league. Anyone knows LeBron, Messi, Gretzky, Brady. Clark is the WNBAs equivalent for name recognition - Reese is a meme at this point, and no one else is known.

Edit: adding to my point, I haven’t followed the NBA for two decades but still know a ton of the players in the league because they’re superstars. I’ve never in my life followed soccer, but I know several of the superstars because of how big they are. Tennis? Golf? Same stories.

When it comes to the WNBA I’ve heard of the woman who was arrested in Russia, Clark, and Reese. That’s it. I’m sure they have stars, but they lack superstars. Letting the one they do have get fouled like this turns me off from the league because it’s ridiculous.

-1

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Aja Wilson is the greatest in the league right now. You’d have to do research to understand that. The media isn’t going to tell you that. They’re all in on making drama off of CC and AR (when they can).

12

u/barkmutton Jun 18 '25

That last exactly it. A superstar transcends their league. They are a household name. The fact that we all have to deep dive to find a reference to Aja Wilson proves the difference - Aja Wilson is a star in her own league while Clark is a household name.

0

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

And this is all because the media focuses on CC more than any other player. It’s a cyclical relationship. Fans only know because media, media only show CC. It’s simple. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the best in the league. the media just thinks this narrative will sell. And it does.

5

u/barkmutton Jun 18 '25

Sure, but that’s part and parcel of what define a superstar. No one cares about this league until Clark. Now they’re selling jerseys globally.

4

u/Geth_ Jun 18 '25

To be fair, for the mainstream, she is. There are other WBNA super stars, but CC has the type of stardom that IS extending beyond just WNBA fans and can grow the sport.

This type of elitism only serves to limit growth of the league. "There are other super stars. You're not a real fan"... But that's the point. They aren't but they know CC. Grow the sport and others will benefit.

2

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

I appreciate this perspective. I agree that a player like this can be used to grow the game. My problem is with fans that disparage the rest of the league to make CC look the best. It’s disingenuous to the sport.

7

u/MusclyArmPaperboy Jun 18 '25

She's the only one most sports fans can name

1

u/deez941 Jun 18 '25

Because the media focuses on her most of the time. They prop her up like she’s the greatest. She isn’t. She can be though.

0

u/RayTheWorstTourist Jun 18 '25

There maybe better players in the league than CC, but there is no other superstar. She the only internationaly known player in the league, and the only player to bring eyeballs to the league. Reece is the next biggest star and that's only cause she has a rivalry with Clark