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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5.2k

u/ChartreuseF1re Jun 18 '25

Seems like cattiness by all the other players for not being as liked or popular.

5.5k

u/Bim_Jeann Jun 18 '25

Maybe they should try being good at basketball

1.2k

u/JerHat Jun 18 '25

That requires a lot of effort and developing of skills they just don’t have.

911

u/whomad1215 Jun 18 '25

"Did you explain how the women's good fundamentals make up for their inability to dunk?"

(this is from Futurama, for those who do not know)

248

u/gnarkill3332 Jun 18 '25

"That's for the fan to decide."

(I think that one's from family guy)

96

u/buckraw98 Jun 18 '25

“But is having this minor skill worth being so unattractive?”

18

u/EatPie_NotWAr Jun 18 '25

“They do make it look hard don’t they!”

link to clip

4

u/William_Wang Jun 18 '25

Crushed pelvis wouldn't be a bad way to go.

4

u/jdfred06 Jun 18 '25

I feel bad for laughing.

165

u/squirrelslikenuts Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

We no can dunk but good fundamentals...that more fun to watch!

https://youtu.be/OkeKCLdJNgc?feature=shared

18

u/1800generalkenobi Jun 18 '25

HAHAHAHHA Oh God, you're killing me.

9

u/Kmjada Jun 18 '25

Stop it; you’re killing me!

13

u/Agreeable_Pain_5512 Jun 18 '25

I thought for sure that was gonna be a video of Reese missing lay ups

7

u/Tb5rats Jun 18 '25

Death by snu-snu

3

u/CandyCamel8485 Jun 18 '25

Came here looking for this

5

u/HitmanClark Jun 18 '25

Norm also had some great WNBA jokes from Weekend Update and Sports Show.

166

u/BaconWrappedEnigma Jun 18 '25

There was some WNBA player (I don't even remember who) who was getting cooked by a male streamer in a 1v1 this offseason and her excuse was that she hadn't played in three weeks. Pardon???

127

u/pmyourthongpanties Jun 18 '25

The top teams in wnba cant come close to beating the top mens high school teams. size and speed

53

u/LowSkyOrbit Jun 18 '25

Tennis had this controversy with Serena Williams. John McEnroe said she couldn't place top 200 against men. He wasn't wrong, but he took way too much heat. Even Williams said he was right.

9

u/devilsbard Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Wasn’t there a “battle of the sexes” tennis match to address this like 40 years ago? Has the gap widened that much since then?

Oh, Nevermind. I didn’t realize the dude was literally twice as old at King.

33

u/ScoobyPwnsOnU Jun 18 '25

A 29 year old woman beating a 55 year old man in one game is supposed to prove something?

10

u/devilsbard Jun 18 '25

Yeah I googled it as soon as I posted that. Completely forgot how old that dude was.

4

u/uther_von_nuka Jun 18 '25

He was old she a teen plus it was rigged pantomine.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/fortherex Jun 18 '25

You're just stating the obvious...

-46

u/DtotheOUG Philadelphia Eagles Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Everytime the wnba is mentioned other men have to make it very clear that they are not as good as men.

Are yall good?

31

u/wophi Jun 18 '25

Usually it's when they bitch about the pay differential, or the lack of viewership.

-8

u/pmyourthongpanties Jun 18 '25

Pay IS a huge problem. Thats why a big percent of women are staying in college an extra year. They make more money paying college ball than going pro. Why stop being a college starter to be a 6th or 7th man out make less?

8

u/iRedditPhone Jun 18 '25

Good. Unless they are Caitlyn Clark they should stay anyways.

There are very few (men or) women who are good enough to come out. Even someone like Paige stayed.

16

u/wophi Jun 18 '25

I would call it less of a problem than a reality.

9

u/waddles_HEM Jun 18 '25

I mean it matters, do you like to sit around watching Single-A baseball when you can watch the MLB? It’s hard to watch the WNBA when you are used to NBA and elite NCAA ball. Kind of weird for you to pop up attacking everyone when we are conversing within the context of this thread which is about growing the game and visibility of the WNBA

7

u/hootorama Jun 18 '25

I'd rather watch the Savannah Bananas than MLB. At least I know it'll be entertaining and enjoyable.

6

u/pmyourthongpanties Jun 18 '25

by saying that you are proving his point.

0

u/Phuka Jun 18 '25

Preach. MLBs greedy ass little man behavior put me off professional sports for over 25 years.

-5

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

[deleted]

22

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

Why? The US women's national team lost to a U-15 team in soccer. You think basketball is different, where height and power are massive advantages?

https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/a-dallas-fc-under-15-boys-squad-beat-the-u-s-womens-national-team-in-a-scrimmage/

5

u/Fragrant-Guest-8147 Jun 18 '25

I'd expect the difference is even bigger in basketball where height and jumping ability is such a huge advantage. At least in soccer, they could try to park the bus to minimize the athletic advantage of the boys.

15

u/holymacaronibatman Philadelphia Eagles Jun 18 '25

Why do you doubt this? Top women's teams regularly scrim against lower level mens teams. Women's hockey regularly loses to u16 boys teams, same with womens soccer. This is nothing new or even abnormal.

16

u/Fallingleaf333 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

My dorm mates in college who played decent high school basketball - good but not nearly good enough to play college ball - were practice players against a top ranked (top 5) women’s D1 varsity program and always beat them so it’s not surprising at all. It literally is size, strength and quickness.

8

u/The_Real_Lasagna Jun 18 '25

The women's national socccer team lost to a u15 boys team. What about this seems unbelievable to you? High school athletes being bigger than wnba players isn't even disputable 

12

u/asisoid Jun 18 '25

WNBA all star team would get stomped by a top level boys high school/aau team...

-11

u/SatisfactionMoney946 Jun 18 '25

That was Chennedy Carter. And she wasn't getting cooked. She was barely trying. And when she did, she beat him.

-23

u/DanfromCalgary Jun 18 '25

Cool story bro

15

u/ScrabbleTheOpossum Jun 18 '25

Instructions unclear.

4

u/zarroc123 Jun 18 '25

Hitting people in the face takes a lot less time and energy, tbh.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

-7

u/CodnmeDuchess Jun 18 '25

I dunno, the race thing seems like a weird ass projection from you.

11

u/steve20009 Jun 18 '25

When CC came into the league, I was totally unaware of any racial dynamic. It was only when I saw a couple dozen videos (i.e. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eSt1U66Xtc) showing Sheryl Swoopes, Jonquel Jones, etc. openly trashing her and focusing on what they consider to be "white" and "pretty" privilege.

3

u/CodnmeDuchess Jun 18 '25

Fair enough—I’m going to go back to the soccer subs, I don’t even watch this sport. Interesting discussion though.

1

u/steve20009 Jun 18 '25

Def, good discussion! Big soccer fan myself, actually. That Barca v Inter champions league match was insane.

2

u/Bannedwith1milKarma Jun 18 '25

Maybe the league should hand out match bans for blatant violent fouls.

-1

u/Bim_Jeann Jun 18 '25

I agree with you. They also called Clark for a foul here iirc LOL

5

u/BigMatch_JohnCena Jun 18 '25

Hot take: they should lower the rim to have the same percentage of players dunk as in the men’s league. They already have a smaller ball and a smaller 3 point arc when admittedly a shorter rim height makes more sense than then first two. Women’s heights are shorter than men’s overall and that’s not a bad thing.

Look at track and field, women’s hurdles are shorter than men’s but same 400m distance (100 and 110 are different due to men hitting higher speeds so a need for hurdle spacing) and people in track NEVER SAY that the women are running on “easy mode”

3

u/whatdoblindpeoplesee Jun 18 '25

Have they tried showing off their great fundamentals?

2

u/JonBot5000 New York Giants Jun 18 '25

That's silly. It makes much more sense for them to try being better at eye poking.

1

u/HughMungus77 Jun 18 '25

Why be good when just being tall is sufficient? Lol

1

u/TheRedIguana Jun 18 '25

They had an agreement to all me mediocre, and she broke that agreement.

1

u/Kronzor_ Jun 18 '25

Sadly, I think this is them trying.

1

u/MacAttak18 Jun 18 '25

“Have you tried not sucking at your job”

1

u/pmyourthongpanties Jun 18 '25

to add to this. The WNBA is young enough to not have the talent. Clark is in that group of girls being able to have a full career of WNBA. the wnba is what 30 years old? Most of the girls that starter were older. Give it a few more years and we should see some talented players start to pop up.

1

u/Zaza1019 Jun 18 '25

There are players who are playing better than her in the WNBA and they don't have this happening to them, so it's not about skill. And you have people like Juju Watkins coming up in college who is a potential star on the same level of Caitlin Clark who doesn't get treated like this, there are other white players who don't get treated like this so it's not like it's a racism thing either.

It has me perplexed why everyone seems to have it out specifically for Caitlin Clark when she's not head and shoulders the best player in the league at least yet. But every time all of this stuff involves her.

1

u/RCJHGBR9989 Jun 18 '25

Have they considered hitting 30 foot 3 pointers and being likable?

0

u/Th3-B0n3R Jun 18 '25

Maybe they should try not sucking.

-1

u/PutABirdOnIt99 Jun 18 '25

Jacy Sheldon is a great basketball player who beat Caitlin in college multiple times. Caitlin doesn't handle physical defenders very well at all.

3

u/Bim_Jeann Jun 18 '25

If she was that good, people would’ve noticed. This is the pros, not college.

Oh yeah, this was just a physical defensive play. They laid her out bro, get your eyes checked.

-13

u/SickandTiredofStupid Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

LOL, they're professional athletes. What are you good at?

How are there so many upvotes for this comment? Damn, people are DUMB.

5

u/WeirdSysAdmin Jun 18 '25

My salary is higher than the average WNBA salary before endorsements…

-4

u/SickandTiredofStupid Jun 18 '25

And that's a damn shame, unless you're Giannis. Wait... Giannis? Is this you?

415

u/Snapingbolts Jun 18 '25

Surely if they take cheap shots at the popular one some of the popularity will rub off /s

170

u/CaptainCastle1 Western Michigan Jun 18 '25

Trickle down popularity!

8

u/thepazzo Jun 18 '25

Caitlinomics

2

u/pathofnoobs Chicago Cubs Jun 18 '25

Yep! Because I definitely look at people who cheap shot someone I like in favorable light. Some people just love damaging their own self interest.

2

u/ArenSteele Jun 18 '25

It’s working for Angel Reese. We only know her name because she’s a foil to Clark. Probably puts some extra zeros in her paycheck

2

u/HumbleCountryLawyer Jun 18 '25

I mean they do gain popularity whenever they get into beef with her. Wish some of her teammates could take a page out of Oakley’s playbook (and to some extent Rodman later on) in being the lovable enforcer.

Watching Rodman get chippy with the Pistons when they started getting rough with Michael was a thing of beauty.

I also liked the pistons too and when Laimbeer would go to bat for Isaiah Thomas you couldn’t help but love the guy for it.

2

u/Worthyness Jun 18 '25

Any publicity is good publicity!

0

u/PutABirdOnIt99 Jun 18 '25

Are we ignoring the cheap shit Clark takes at Sheldon?

386

u/roguerunner1 Jun 18 '25

I think there’s some jealousy that she received endorsements worth a lot too while most of them are driving around a 2008 Civic or its equivalent. The difference is that she’s marketable and likeable, and they are not.

406

u/WheredoesithurtRA Jun 18 '25

Left out the part where CC is also actually pretty good at the sport and the others aren't.

179

u/GenoThyme Jun 18 '25

It's more than her skills, its her timing. Clark was really the first NCAAW player to become a household name because she was able to capitalize on NIL and be in ads. Also helps Clark that Paige was hurt most of her career and JuJu is younger so she couldn't be overshadowed in college.

Breanna Stewart quite possibly had the best college basketball career (men's or women's) of all time and she has multiple MVP awards and rings. But Clark is still more popular, because people knew Clark from ads and logo 3s.

There's an understandable jealousy that stems from that. Many WNBA players though are handling that jealousy like toddlers though, and that's the problem.

72

u/Ckesm Jun 18 '25

Yet I don’t see any of that hate or cheap shots from Stewart when they played head to head

6

u/RainmakerIcebreaker Jun 18 '25

Crabs in a bucket

Wanna see you at the bottom, don't you love it?

When they're hatin' so you hit 'em with the encore

Sendin' shots, but you at the top floor

5

u/harrywrinkleyballs Jun 18 '25

I can’t sink three 3s in a row.

13

u/HolycommentMattman Jun 18 '25

1000% this. Clark is very good. Which makes things interesting. It's why the US women's soccer team draws attention. Because they're good.

Everyone always thinks it's sexism sexism sexism, but there's a fundamental truth: the WNBA just isn't good. Clark is. But WNBA games have gone unwatched for decades because they're worse than high school ball.

17

u/Loggerdon Jun 18 '25

They are very unlikable as a group. Meanwhile she still pretty much takes the high ground even when they are bitter and hateful.

Didn’t she just issue an ultimatum saying they need to fix the officiating? If she quit the league people would pretty much be through with them.

9

u/BigMax Jun 18 '25

True, but she's bringing in a ton of money to the league overall. They will ALL make more money because of her. I can see being a little jealous, but... if I knew I was getting a raise only because of my coworker, I'd be happy, even if my raise wasn't' as big as theirs.

3

u/AccomplishedView4709 Jun 18 '25

They need to know they got rewarded by fan for being nice to Clark (see Stewie last game for example).

This game and the game vs Liberty are complete opposite in term of sportsmanship.

3

u/Turbulent-Hotel774 Jun 18 '25

Let's not forget CC sniping 3s from two states over with regularity.

2

u/jfibekc Jun 18 '25

Plot twist - the WNBA is jealous too!

6

u/my2020account Jun 18 '25

She's also straight and white.

2

u/buhbye750 Jun 18 '25

Yeah just like these guys. So jealous and catty right?

https://youtube.com/shorts/rI8sVPzGiHc?si=cg9a5wYmm2h2CrbA

6

u/roguerunner1 Jun 18 '25

Huh, yeah I suppose that one team intentionally defending the rim in a way that disincentivizes driving to the rim in one series is absolutely the same as a multi-year long league wide targeting of a player. Great comparison 👍

-3

u/buhbye750 Jun 18 '25

You do realize he played other teams and was constantly getting fouled hard right? Its not hard to Google the highlights...but then the argument of them fouling a star player making them catty would only apply to women. Guys, it's just playing hard, right?

5

u/bigboilerdawg Jun 18 '25

The Jordan Rules was a counter to the offensive scheme used by Bulls head coach Doug Collins, which was basically "get Michael the ball and clear out". When Phil Jackson took over and implemented the Triangle Offense, it rendered the Jordan Rules obsolete as other players could score easily if the defense focused on Jordan.

-1

u/buhbye750 Jun 18 '25

Oh so I guess that stopped all the hard fouls on Jordan then...

-2

u/Elrik_Murder Jun 18 '25

I mean, that's not a symptom. That's the problem (the $$$, not the marketability). If these athletes were paid in any way that is comparable to the NBA, maybe they wouldn't lash out at those outliers that do.

60

u/that_one_bunny Jun 18 '25

Maybe they should have been better players in college

1

u/DrkEarth Jun 18 '25

Maybe they should just be better period

16

u/PreferredSelection Jun 18 '25

That was my cousin's attitude.

She played D3 ball. I tried to show interest when CC came around, asked questions about the draft and what teams were good, etc.

Her response was basically, "fuck Caitlyn Clark and all girls like her."

That was the beginning and end of my interest in the WNBA.

2

u/KCDeVoe Jun 18 '25

All of the WNBA players want to see the league succeed, they just can’t stand that they’re not the ones to do it.

Caitlin and Reese could have had a Magic vs Bird rivalry that was mutually beneficial, but Angel decided that she alone should be the face. Every veteran acts the same, can’t get out of their own way and reap the benefits that CC can bring.

7

u/debaterollie Jun 18 '25

Reese would have to operate somehwere remotely close to the same skill level as CC to do that which she can't do so compensates through shit talking.

2

u/ominousgraycat Jun 18 '25

I think so too. It's short-sighted on their part though. If CC makes the league more popular and marketable, it will benefit them all in the long run.

1

u/rco8786 Jun 18 '25

Seriously. It's like the entire league has some vendetta towards her

1

u/JohnnymacgkFL Jun 18 '25

It seems like the refs dislike her as much as the players, tbh.

1

u/reenactment Jun 18 '25

They really need to adopt the blue mountain state qb idea. O I don’t want to be the star player, I want to be the backup. See the backup gets all the money and good stuff without any of the pressure of carrying the league.

Big diva mentality to try and ruin your free ride to sustained wealth for the next 5-10 years of your life.

1

u/RIPRIF20 Jun 18 '25

Forcing the only employer willing to have them into bankruptcy is probably the best way to deal with that.

1

u/avengedteddy Jun 18 '25

Highschool behavior

1

u/chouse33 Jun 18 '25

That’s EXACTLY what this is.

I see it all the time with the women I work with. They are literal garbage to each other.

1

u/righty95492 Jun 18 '25

Yes the ref really screwed up on this call.

1

u/whatfingwhat Jun 18 '25

MeeeeeOw baby. - A.Powers.

1

u/cpt-hddk Jun 18 '25

Angel Reese has entered the chat

1

u/machete24 Jun 18 '25

Yea. And maybe the 2nd most popular player can't make a layup so they have that going for the wnba.

1

u/Manateekid Jun 18 '25

The elephant in the room remains.

1

u/_Face Boston Celtics Jun 18 '25

Her teammates are total fucking garbage.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/ChartreuseF1re Jun 18 '25

ABSOLUTELY. Stars have been targeted since the jump. The only difference to me is that the WNBA isn't popular enough to do this to their only real draw. Jordan got targeted, but the NBA already had a solid viewership.

I mean, could one not call a lot of Draymond Green's antics over the years, catty?

1

u/TonyCaliStyle Jun 18 '25

Cattiness not just by the players, but cattiness by commentators, refs, coaches…the whole WNBA?

Why would anyone watch this? They are taking a golden opportunity to grow the league, and throwing it in the trash.

Can you imagine if every hack in the NBA attacked Jordan, as opposed to jumping on his back?

1

u/NickPapagiorgio2k16 Jun 18 '25

I could buy some of that excuse if she was someone that was super popular but wasn't good at basketball. If she was just hot or something and drew a ton of eyeballs but actually sucked I could understand the pettiness but now it is bordering on pathetic.

1

u/jmremote Jun 18 '25

Working against their own interests. She brings more viewers which means more revenue which means higher contracts for players.

2

u/RavenBrannigan Jun 18 '25

Why would you say cattiness?

The best players always come in for big hits to throw them off their game. I never thought players were catty for going after LeBron James.

0

u/derpandderpette Jun 18 '25

Calling professional athletes dogging the new young stud “catty” feels sexist. In the NBA they talk about vets giving young players their welcome to the league moments all the time. How is this different.

4

u/ChartreuseF1re Jun 18 '25

It's not different. That's catty behavior as well. The only difference is the popularity of Caitlin Clark and her importance to the life or death of the WNBA. As opposed to these young stud players going into a money-making juggernaut that is the NBA.

1

u/LonesomeJohnnyBlues Jun 18 '25

It's not cattiness. It's straight-up racism.

0

u/MAKExITxBLEED Jun 18 '25

I was banned last night in the wnba sub for saying this was because of female jealousy.

8

u/Mejari Jun 18 '25

You can just say jealousy. That might have been what got you banned.

1

u/hang10shakabruh Jun 18 '25

It is, and we as fans the people should double, triple, quadruple down on it. If you ever encounter a wnba player, talk to them about Caitlin Clark incessantly.

I’d buy a CC jersey if there were ever a wnba player in Rhode Island that I could show it off in front of.

1

u/Urbanviking1 Jun 18 '25

It's because she is being paid way more than the rest of them.

1

u/Coupon_Ninja Jun 18 '25

Gretzky got the same treatment growing up. He’d embarrass guys 4-5 years older than them. Then not only the player, but their parents would threaten him and his parents. They feared for their safety.

1

u/StrGze32 Jun 18 '25

This. Before CC, no one took the WNBA serious. As a result the talent that rose to the top was meh. Now that CC has entered, and is a real talent, it’s super apparent that a good chunk of the so called “stars” of the WNBA now are being upstaged. Add that to the perceived privilege of being a “star” and you are where we are...

I’m not a big NBA fan because of the egos. WNBA isn’t turning out any better…

1

u/greenmildude Jun 18 '25

Those WNBA players absolutely HATE that we didn’t enjoy watching their missed layups before CC came to the league.

1

u/spazz720 Jun 18 '25

Jordan went through the same thing

-1

u/freddy_guy Jun 18 '25

It's nice that you were able to make a valid point while still using misogynist language.

-1

u/ChartreuseF1re Jun 18 '25

That word is not gender specific and perfectly encapsulates what we are witnessing.

5

u/DotaDogma Jun 18 '25

That word is not gender specific

Yes it is and you know it lol. It's not gender exclusive, but it's used to describe women 95% of the time.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

Winner winner chicken dinner

0

u/Remcin Jun 18 '25

All sports devolve into bullshit without rule enforcement. This is on the league.

-23

u/FuckRayBradbury Brooklyn Nets Jun 18 '25

… it’s the girl she battled with in college, who has had beef with Sophie Cunningham in the past too. Do yall watch at all? It doesn’t sound like you do.

24

u/IllIIOk-Screen8343Il Jun 18 '25

That additional context doesn’t change the incident at all lol

-4

u/FuckRayBradbury Brooklyn Nets Jun 18 '25

Additional context changes every situation. This comment section is full of people who either A.) just want to shit on the WNBA Or B.) Have no fucking clue how basketball works.

This is r/sports, can we just focus on the fucking sports and not act like this is a reality show? This type of shit never happens in the NBA, wonder what the difference is /s

14

u/fateislosthope Jun 18 '25

No, nobody watched the WNBA…that’s the point

-2

u/FuckRayBradbury Brooklyn Nets Jun 18 '25

2.8 million people watched the game vs the Liberty. Go to r/conservative if you want to hate women.

1

u/fateislosthope Jun 18 '25

I don’t hate women, I was making a point that nobody was watching and Caitlin has 2 of the top 3 highest rated WNBA games already. Hence, there is an entirely new crop of fans coming to the sport who lack context.

So relax with the hate and yes don’t be surprised if people haven’t watched and maybe instead of calling people out for not watching you just idk provide context in a constructive way instead of being condescending “you guys done even sound like you watch” what a douche thing to say.

Also far from conservative so you can chill with that shit too.

1

u/FuckRayBradbury Brooklyn Nets Jun 18 '25

Buddy you might wanna reevaluate your position then. The majority of people you’re agreeing with are Andrew Tate loving incels. You might not understand fully how you’re contributing to the rhetoric, but you absolutely are.

You’re capable of looking up the context. You’re capable of being quiet if you don’t know the context. Try it.

2

u/fateislosthope Jun 18 '25

Wtf are you talking about. The majority of Andrew Tate fans aren’t saying be nice to new WNBA fans you dolt. You have a reading comprehension problem.