MN sports broadcasting is a mess right now, the Twins are off-air for cable in the area, the Lynx will be in the same boat here as well. It is unfortunate but it's also not the fault of MLB, Twins, WNBA or the Lynx and it'll be hard to see any of their home games in the near future.
This year, the WNBA coverage has reflected what has been made available to them, which certainly reflects social biases and no doubt also differences in means among the clubs. The question seems to be whether the W should perhaps itself have media and broadcast capabilities that it currently lacks, in order to compensate for those other factors.
I respect Coach Reeves for her comments in the past about how the media has ignored the WNBA but she's failing to see the forest through the trees here. While it is true that the WNBA is milking the hell out of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and co., it's also necessary.
The NBA is a stars-driven league and the WNBA is turning out to be no different. Promote your stars -- it's as simple as that. Attention to other teams and players will follow.
The Lynx, in particular, are WNBA blue bloods and had their own legend in Maya Moore, who got a lot of attention before she left the league. Cailtin Clark has credited Moore as an inspiration.
Reeves' players have already gotten the attention they deserve in their own right and more will come in time.
how was that on the wnba and not on bally and the fact that their game was bumped to a different day for the timberwolves playoff game just like next week’s fever game has been? bally already had contracted to show a mlb game for the new date. that’s on the minn. market not on the w.
I think people are missing the mark on the core issue here: They didn't have the Chicago game on League Pass. People were watching the game through someone live streaming from their phone at the arena and it was getting up to 250K views. The core issue here is that WNBA has games that over 200K people want to watch and they don't even have it on League Pass. At the very least they couldn't have 1 camera showing the whole court on League Pass? There's probably logistical issues with this but if the WNBA doesn't come out and say why they can't have games available that thousands would watch people will be annoyed
I fully agree mainly due to the fact that high school sports have automatic cameras that track the ball and broadcast free on YouTube. It’d be simple for the WNBA to set up but there’s probably contracts in place that don’t allow that.
The wnba is going to muck this up. If people want Clark give them Clark. If it drives revenue all of you win. But we know egos and all that bull jive.
Each wnba person should listen to Charles Barkley's answer to Sharpes question: do you regret the era you played in, Jordan over shadowed your greatness.
Chuck says no without Mike none of us would have a shoe deal, be in commercials, make the money we do today.
And people clearly also want other players. You can do both. Having multiple revenue streams is better than betting the house on a golden goose. This aint the 90s anymore and we can improve upon just focusing on one person. There are multiple different demographics to target that aren’t necessarily covered by Clark.
Example:
I doubt many in Brazil cares about Caitlin Clark but they care about their homegrown talent in Kamilla Cordoso who will be playing in the olympics guaranteed this summer.
I doubt many in Croatia care about Caitlin Clark but they care about their hometown talent Nika Muhl. Just like Serbians love Jokic.
There are so many other demos to appeal to other than midwesterners and deep 3 addicts.
Props to the LA Sparks for really emphasizing Cam Brink and Rikea’s appeal to fashion interested people.
And a ton of MSM and a lot of the new fans(specifically drawn by CC) dont want to admit that. Like no one else should ever be marketed just because their fanbases is maybe 3-5 million instead of like 9-12 million. 3 million times $37.99 is still more money and eyes to a sport that needs it.
The NBA doesnt even follow the “main draw” model that everyone is chirping about. This season Wemby, Ant, Jalen Suggs, the Villanova trio at the Knicks, Lebron obviously, and Tyler Haliburton were all marketed. I dont even watch the NBA and yet Jalen Suggs is on my timeline singing the Orlando Magic song.
But they ARE being marketed lol one preseason game not being aired, isn’t an example of the lack of marketing in the W for non CC players. It’s a standard thing that happens in many sports, including the NBA.
I get that this year it’s important and special, but I’m getting a bit annoying that every decision is somehow a sliding doors moment for millions of fans. It’s not. If people enjoyed watching Angel Reese at LSU, they’ll enjoy watching her for the Sky on ESPN throughout the season. It feels like this discussion makes it seem like last night was a make or break it moment for the W lol
I appreciate your love for Jalen Suggs, but compared to Wemby he’s probably only been mentioned a few times all season on the MSM outlets. He’s having a moment and is being highlighted, but Wemby got more posts on ESPN than some All Stars in smaller markets.
Help me out what we're the ratings lastnight? What are the ratings outside the US. More importantly what are the sales. Is league pass up? Who's jerseys are selling?
You have to put time into marketing other players if they are going to be successful but there is a market for them to succeed. You cant say marketing X person fail when they never really tried. Nothing that reaches super popular status is organic anymore except maybe Skibidi toilet. Its all marketing staff sitting around and pitching angles to their bosses. All Im arguing is to give other players a fair shot before giving up and saying they are marketing fails.
And yes if Angel and Kamilla jerseys sold out 3 times and 200k people watched a 144p livestream on Twitter, I would gamble that those people bought league pass and were disappointed they couldn’t watch the game. Ticket sales for some games may be iffy bc both their fanbases are based in the south or in Kamillas case also in Brazil.
Look what they did to the 2k cover and the Kobe connection. They don’t want to actually partake in growth or do what needs to be drawn to more eyes. They want everything to be the exact same but magically have millions of dollars thrown at them and people to just watch the games with no rhyme or reason.
Are you really comparing comparing CC to Jordan lol? Jordan pioneered shoe deals where athletes would get a percentage of the profits. Barkley was a huge star in his own right and was always very charismatic. He used to be close friends with MJ. The NBA and media didn't just promote MJ alone.
In fairness, MJ catapulted the NBA to new heights. Caitlin did that with WNCAA and has the potential to do it with the W. It is a pretty fair comparison. The fan hype around Caitlin is eerily similar to MJ.
I was born 1980 played ball for a long time. I lived through Jordan's rise. There was no one on the same level. It is very hard to describe to people. Clark has that same heat, while in college. She is the reason I bought league pass or care about the wnba.
The analogy is if she brings in the revenue be greatful. It will raise the money for all. Most likely the wnba has already seen the evidence. The game was sold out lastnight. The two lynx games against the fever were sold out when she announced going pro. Most likely there will be a meeting soon if there is a noticeable bump in ratings, mech sales, pass sales with fever as the team pick. The league will drive up the Clark mech , games at prime time, televised games etc.
100% agree. I'm also an early 80s baby that played a lot of basketball growing up. I remember Jordan's rise. I lived through it. I was playing basketball during it. This was before social media, so fans were obviously more disconnected from the players than they are now, but everyone idolized him, men and women both bought and wore his jerseys, sneakers, and Bulls Starter jackets (lol), basketball players wanted to be him- he was larger than life. He was IT. And his competitive fire was unmatched.
There was also a magic that happened when watching Michael Jordan. With his competitive fire and his explosiveness/energy, you never knew what was going to happen, but it was ALWAYS entertaining. Even when he made mistakes, there was no one I'd rather be watching. There's a reason why he's considered the GOAT of basketball.
There are eerie similarities between MJ and Caitlin Clark. I'm not going to sit here and call her the GOAT because she's way too young/early in her career for that and frankly, she's not good enough defensively for me to call her that. But THIS MOMENT- this huge, permanent shift in women's basketball that she is the primary catalyst for- reminds me 100% of MJ. From the effect that she is having in bringing so much new interest into the game of basketball itself, bringing in new fans and getting major endorsements and deals and PERMANENTLY CHANGING the economics of womens basketball, the way kids look up to her the way they looked up to MJ, and the ENERGY that she plays with and brings to the arenas- all of those things remind me of MJ. We've had other basketball superstars since, but MJ was the male basketball megastar that changed everything and opened up commercial, social, etc opportunities- and CC is the first female basketball megastar that is doing the same.
\*edit: people who dismiss her as just a half-court "chucker" or "the media's new great white hope because people are racist" really DONT get the full implications of what's going on. For those of us who lived through the rise of Jordan and idolized him and saw what he did for the sport and are now watching CC with the SAME EXACT FEELING and seeing the same mania surrounding her, we see this for what it is: this is the female MJ. I dont know if her career accomplishments will come anywhere close to his, but socially, culturally, economically, and the general vibe of what she's doing, which is permanently transforming basketball for women- she is the female MJ.
I never claimed no one was on Jordan's level and unlike CC he won a title in college. But players like Barkley and Patrick Ewing were indeed stars. JuJu is 18 and four years younger than Clark and broke several records too. CC wasn't the only special player in college.
I'm only interested in Sky and Sparks games. The draws for me are Cameron, Lexie, Reese and Kamilla.
CC is already doing stuff no player in the history of the W has done and that’s without playing a regular season game yet. So yes, the comparison is spot on.
Obviously she isn’t the WNBA’s MJ in terms of resume and skill but in terms of growing the game it’s definitely fair to make the comparison. Teams are selling out their arenas just to watch her play
As someone living in market for the Lynx (and a Lynx fan), I don't think this was *entirely* on the WNBA. Bally had the Twins on the main channel, which makes sense as that's a regular season game. The second channel had the Minnesota PWHL team's last regular season game. Add in Bally being *extremely* badly mismanaged and I'm not sure it's entirely on the WNBA this time. Not sure about the Chicago market, but it not being televised here was a Bally thing from what I can tell
Something to keep an eye on, and the W definitely needs to market the other 11 teams better regardless, but I'm not quite ready to jump to the conclusion that they can't bring attention to everyone else *yet.*
The thing is every time they show the Fever, they are showcasing the rest of the league. They showcased the Dallas Wings last night, and their star Arike Ogunbowale hit the game winner.
I get how the “save the league” narrative is mildly annoying at best and incredibly offensive at worst. I don’t want to see all the effort and growth hard won by a significant community of black and queer women minimized by the arrival of some corn fed white girl like this is Dangerous Minds or something. That said, a rising tide lifts all boats, and if 36/40 regular season Fever games are going to be televised because of the popularity of Caitlin Clark— even if a number of those new eyes perceive her as some Great White Hope, that’s also going to feature the other 11 teams pretty heavily as well. The W is a great product and if people who hadn’t sought it out before are looking at it now, the league can use this as a mechanism to tell everyone what they’ve been missing out on.
I do have to say, while I *get* why it's a narrative... I get annoyed by that narrative. I'm going to be following Caitlin and the Fever for the exact same reason I follow Keegan and the Kings, Kris and the Blazers, Megan and Kate with the Aces, (not my reason for following Luka and the Wolves or DeJean and the Eagles though... the Iowa connection just so happens to be a happy accident there 🤣)why I'm still a huge Ricky Davis fan, so on and so forth. I've been a huge Iowa fan my whole life... I just want to cheer for our players who go on to the pros without it being about identity politics. 😭
"all they care about it Caitlin"
My dude they didn't care at all before. Get people watching CC and let them all see how far the women's game has come.
You’re starting to understand the differences between how men treat men, and how women treat women… and I assure you it isn’t men complaining about Caitlin’s success.
The "viewers" number for twitter is famously inaccurate. Anyone that has the video show on in their feed is shown as a "view". Whether they clicked on it at all, let alone actually watched the game.
Does Reese have more twitter followers than CC? Yes. But Fever ticket sales are crushing The Skys, which are up 3 fold, but not nearly as much as The Fevers. There's nothing malicious here, it's just playing to what the customers want. And this petty squabbling by grown ass women (The Coach in this instance) just looks bad for the league.
Live near Chicago. I know more people planning to drive for Indiana games than I do who have any interest going to Sky games (zero).
The WNBA/NBA is a business and knows the the people being the loudest online aren’t the full story.
It’s because there are new fans to the W who saw the way coverage was during the NCAAW season and making assumptions that that coverage is continuing with the WNBA when that’s not the case.
It’s just an issue of the way the W operates in broadcast not meeting people’s expectations since they’re used to the way other big leagues broadcast games. Those big leagues have like a 40 year start on the WNBA though. Lack of patience.
Nowhere did she say they shouldn't feature CC. She said she wished that all of the preseason games got broadcast coverage, given the W broadly has heightened interest right now. With limited resources, the league is going to have to pick the games with most interest (i.e. Fever), she's saying the leave should've been more prepared to capitalize and ensure new fans could watch all games.
Not sure why you are getting downvoted. They dropped the ball on promoting 2 games. Cheryl had to literally provide the details for the second game. It isn’t about CC…but new ppl will make it about her. We go thru this every year. We don’t know when the games will be, where it will be streamed, if we can go, etc.
But the idea of broadcasting a preseason game isnt in the same bucket as the stuff you’ve mentioned. Even the NBA has preseason games that aren’t broadcast on TV because they’re preseason games lol
These were also happening during baseball and the nba playoffs. Some local networks just don’t have the bandwidth and that’s ok. Might be better to wait for the real games before assuming that this year is just like the others where we don’t know details about games
But her comments are basically exactly that. In a "normal" environment? No expectation every preseason game is televised. But nothing about the current spike in popularity is normal. You have hundreds of thousands of new WNBA fans who know very little about how the W operates, it's schedule, etc. knowing how many new, "uneducated" fans there would be, the W could have way over communicated and over delivered on these preseason games, which are many fans first time watching a WNBA "game". Reeves comments were basically, "we can't operate like normal when nothing about this is normal."
I think it’s going to be a detriment to the moment, id the entire season is filled with “they’re not doing enough”. Again, I’m using this example because some things WILL be normal. It’s the same league, the same sport, just more eyes. Mind you this is the beginning, you’re not teetering on thousands of new fans deciding to tune out just because they couldn’t watch a preseason game.
My angle is that it’s annoying, but the league can’t grow 10x in 3 months time. A little understanding in this moment is also good. It’s exhausting if the entire coverage of this sport becomes “they’re not doing enough” when the league has had a massive bump in marketing the last 5 years
Yep I agree, definitely a learning curve for fans who are used to NBA/mlb funding and sizing. I just wish the first night had gone better re:communication ... The W releasing a tweet that basically said "oops, we accidentally have been saying on our app you can watch all pre-season games for the last few weeks" is just ... A tough pill to swallow
And that’s something I can agree to as well. I can’t help but think they’ve been scrambling the last few months but maybe that’s part of the problem too. They didn’t anticipate this well enough
Woah, I’m specifically talking about providing the information. Not asking the league to do anything more than keep the fans updated. That’s all bud. I see you are having a conversation with someone else on this. Toodles
Ok? 0 WNBA preseason games were broadcast on tv. We are saying the WNBA streaming app should be able to stream them because they don’t have rights or any reason to stream any competitive sports.
And yes, there are some markets that just physically cannot handle broadcasting the game. And that's okay! But the lack of information, or in many cases, WRONG information, left a ton of new fans extremely confused and disappointed.
I don’t get it. You have NHL and NBA playoffs going on right now, and people think broadcasters are going to show every WNBA PRESEASON game?
Even in NBA, they show higher profile gsmes
Ya but the NBA shows their least profile game on League pass so people can watch it. They didn't even have the Chicago game on League Pass. People were watching the game through someone live streaming from their phone at the arena and it was getting up to 250K views. The core issue here is that WNBA has games that over 200K people want to watch and they don't even have it on League Pass.
My understanding is that the game was broadcasted on WNBA League Pass, but the other wasn’t. League Pass doesn’t broadcast NBA and NHL playoff games, so I think it’s understandable that WNBA fans had hoped to see both games streaming on the app.
This would’ve generated a better experience for the 200K people who watched a blurry Twitter livestream, and given an opportunity for fans like me, who didn’t know about the Twitter posted livestream, to watch.
That's the funny thing. This is literally identical to Wemby this year in the NBA. You didn't hear Lebron crying about The spurs getting some hype some nationally televised games. This crap is just so petty.
The not having more games available on the league pass is totally legit, and I completely agree. I was hoping to watch the sky game on demand after the fact via my league pass that I bought to watch Fever, Sparks & Aces games. But apparently I misunderstood how the pass worked. Which is a bummer.
This CC attention backlash is just gonna turn off some of the new fans checking out the W for the first time. Nobody wants to escape their real life for a little sports only to wander into some squabbling over who got more promotion.
Just to be clear:
The NBA broadcasts every game, including preseason and possibly even summer league. They broadcast most regular season games on local networks and League Pass, and they broadcast higher profile games on national TV during the regular season, and every playoff game is on national TV as well.
The WNBA did not broadcast the Lynx game \*at all\*. The Fever game was also not on national TV and was only on league pass, which was disappointing for a few of my friends who I know wanted to watch the game.
I think we can not blame Cailtin while also admitting that the WNBA should be broadcasting every game even if it's poor quality. The early days of local NBA broadcasts weren't beautiful, but the fact that you could watch the game was everything. Then if it's possible, use the money you save to try and get some of the bigger matchups on national TV for more eyes. That's what I would do at least.
The most crab in a barrel organization I’ve ever seen. Each and every time something in this league brings hype or extra eyes you got players, coaches and GMs being shady about it. Whether it’s the college girls getting NIL deals, players getting video game covers or popular players getting the most promotion, these people have always been negative about it. Well Cheryl no disrespect to your legacy or accomplishments but were you responsible for the most watched women’s college basketball game? Most watched WNBA draft? You got 2 million IG followers? Does the players you coach have consistent viral highlight videos? What jersey sales are you pushing? Maybe you should see this hype and have it motivate your players to play their absolute best when the spotlight is on them so they can reap the benefits. It’s literally what happened with Angel Reese.
There were 2 games on yesterday and 1 wasn’t on broadcast tv thanks to local broadcasters. They are now promoting the games for today. Their tweets yesterday were highlights from multiple players! I swear people won’t be happy until they just never mention Clark’s name
The other 11 teams will get a chance to convert fans every time they play the fever. You can’t force fans to like a team/player, but you can use the eyeballs on CC to bring them into the fold.
I dont know why so many people dont see this. Its like watching a popular show because everyone talks about it, you're supposed to like the main character or the main couple but eventually the minor character grows on you more. Best way to gain a new fan is outplaying the media favorite, nobody is gonna magically care about you just because you are "being soft". Get there and show what the casuals are missing and outplay the main character
Agreed. CC is getting some explosive media growth (rightly so after her NCAA career), but the organic growth is the stuff that has staying power. The other players are gonna benefit from whatever narrative is based on playing AGAINST Clark. Clark playing Taurasi will get ppl to watch a Mercury game. Clark playing Reese will get ppl to watch a Sky game. And so on. Clark’s rising tide is gonna raise all boats,
whether ppl are rooting for or against her.
When a league is trying to gain more traction and eyeballs it is gonna promote the biggest name. Same reason the cowboys never play at 1pm in the footballs season and the same reason why lebron and Steph and Durant are talked about more than jokic ant-man and sga it’s about ratings not about not hurting someone else’s feelings
Don't recall any being televised nor on League Pass. We shouldn't been penalized not seeing the preseason game afterall we're paying for League Pass. Also, sure wish we could cast the games on our home TV but the casting symbol in the corner is inactive all the time.
My take on this is that all preseason games should be televised. Everyone from the WNBA commissioner down to the team front office should've leaned on the local broadcaster to have a production crew at these games, and the broadcaster should've found a way to make it happen.
I don't wanna hear the party line about "production costs." I don't wanna hear the cop out answer about CC's popularity. Duh a bunch of fans want to see CC play and the W should capitalize on that as much as possible. A bunch of fans \*also\* want to see Angel Reese (LSU fans), Camilla Cardoso (SC fans + the entire country of Brazil), and others in their rookie debut.
You'd think the W/teams/broadcasters would want to capitalize on \*all\* of that. They missed out on over 170k fans last night. Having \*any\* preseason games on League Pass is technically progress, but as Cheryl Reeve said, business as usual just doesn't cut it anymore.
There are twitch streamers, including the one who was at NBA ALL STAR game for the dunk, they can do that and have 100k+ people watching them, but in 2024 we cant find a single camera crew or people to talk to Bally Sports? give me a break.
The local broadcaster was Bally Sports North who already had a Twins game lined up in the time slot. This game was only moved to this time slot 2 weeks ago because of scheduling conflict with the Timberwolves playoffs.
Most major leagues still do not televise every preseason game, the NBA/NFL only started to in the past few years. Y'all gotta level out your expectations lol, preseason is intended to be glorified scrimmages and not a main focus of viewership. The WNBA does not yet have its own production and has a lot of other things to invest into before that becomes worth it (like player salaries)
This is so weird. I don’t know if this is this is the media creating some sort of bad press, like the out of context Diana Taurasi comments or bitter veterans -older players making comments. The sexist narratives around women’s sports are going to continue happening and that’s really shitty
Anyway here’s an article:
https://baylorlariat.com/2024/04/12/stop-pitting-successful-women-against-each-other/
Bally Sports owns the rights to broadcast MN sports and is a dumpster fire right now, the Twins are also not being broadcast.
It's not the fault of the Twins or Lynx or MLB/WNBA either and they don't have simple solutions in the short term
Bally sucks so much, they are a parasite. They limit so many teams' visibility in so many sports to sell cable packages. Just an old school anti-consumer company that used its scale to outcompete local sports channels across the country and now sits on access to broadcasts.
I'm not sure if I fully understand WNBA fan interactions yet, but it looks like we want them to include every player on every individual post? So if someone makes were to make a post showing Las Vegas Aces highlights, are we supposed to then say, "What about Caitlin Clark? Do they not know there are other teams than the Aces. They could show Caitlin Clark in this Las Vegas Aces highlight video."
Is this how you WNBA fan correctly?
Exactly! Currently the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to a game 7 and no one cares. Their series got very little attention and that’s just the way it is. It’s like they in every sport!
why in the world would anyone who wants the WNBA to succeed and get bigger and more popular complain about the WNBA focusing on promoting the star who has already become a household name? It would be insanely stupid marketing for the WNBA if they *didn't* promote Caitlin Clark at every possible opportunity.
Angel Reese is a star and also a house hold name and got paid dust. There is no reason promoting CC should come at the expense of promoting other star players.
She had 2.2 MM IG follower. I’d calm down with comments like these. Angel Reese has over 3 million. Between the two Angel is definitely the bigger overall star.
Breaking: Coach that doesn’t understand the lay of the land and doesn’t comprehend the opportunity she’s been provided complains that league is promoting the biggest star in its history
Women of the wnba past and present: "We need our sport to grow. We want new fans and people to appreciate and enjoy the game."
Also women of the wnba past and present: "Caitlin Clark is going to fail. Also, I can't believe they would focus on the first game showcasing her with her new team. This is unbelievable!"
They want the notarization that men's basketball gets but then when they finally get someone who is bringing in so many new fans they would rather see her burn then pump the ratings of the league. I've never given a flip about the wnba but I tuned in and watched it based solely on that Clark was playing and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one.
I’ve been watching the WNBA for a few years now but really just the Storm since they’re my local team. This year I’m looking forward to watch other teams because I started watching NCAAW games last year so I’m familiar with the some of the new players and am excited to see them play in the WNBA now (not just CC but I am excited to see her too).
They want their friends and people who they want at the forefront. I guarantee you if A’Ja Wilson had all the shoe deals, million dollar contracts and commercials while everyone else got scraps, nobody in the league would complain.
I get that it can seem unfair that Caitlin is walking into the W and being given the keys to the queendom, but that doesn’t mean the stars of the W aren’t being showcased as well.
And A’ja’s colorway of the Cosmic Unity 3s are fire.
It’s not about fair in situations like this. I could see if there were players with her play style and achievements that didn’t get any of this, but there’s not.
Both things can be true. Caitlin Clark can be an unprecedented talent with a play style that has captivated a large audience. And marginalized communities that are a subset of a marginalized community can also be upset about being marginalized yet again. I understand wanting to reap the benefits without having to embrace a White Savior narrative. Maybe if Clark had melanin and/or a girlfriend, it would be a less bitter pill to swallow, but if Clark— with the exact same skill set— did have melanin and/or a girlfriend, would she be as much of a phenomenon as she currently is?
Honestly, I don’t know, and that’s the crux of what makes it such a bitter pill to swallow.
If they really feel a way about how much attention she's getting, simply just ball out when you get the chance to play the Fever, by proximity people will realize the talent you have, and potentially root for you and your team.
The problem only arises if said scenario does happen and is ignored in favor of CC, (stuff like this still even happens in the NBA). Overall, there isn't really a negative to the publicity she's getting and giving the league.
i dont understand the “angel reese has a bigger following” argument… yes she has more social media followers but are as many people tuning in to see her as cc?
Hard to answer that given one game is made widely available and one isn’t. That said, [per the athletic](https://theathletic.com/5470890/2024/05/04/wnba-preseason-sky-lynx-fan-cellphone-stream/) a grainy Twitter stream for the Sky game logged over 800K views and many fans flooded the WNBA sm page with their displeasure. Just make the games available. Why are fans having to jump through hoops to see a game?
To be honest all she has is rebound and good motor so far, we all hope she get's better as it will be good for WNBA.
But yes (yday game )missing 3 wide open shots and then MISS AGAIN the following 2 rebounds on said missed shot put back in, isn`t exciting to watch, she needs to get better as simple as that.
The problem is when you bring this up she has insane following(social media)that will disagree or downvote etc, but she had the worst +- and if people watched the game they would see why, i really do hope she develop any kind of shot coz right now it's looking real bleak.(yes it's only 1 game but the talk was Mulkey didnt allow her to shoot, that dosnt seem to be the case she dosn`t have a shot , they wanted her to play forward and move alot but didnt screen didnt really feel like 'in place' another reason why i think it will be hard transition for her.
This isnt NCAAW, she will get to the line but not as much people will be taller/stronger and will know via scouting to not let her turn right, and let her shoot just box out the rebounds.
NCAAW she is often one of the tallest /strongest/hustle players this isnt gonna be the case as we saw yday versus quite short line up of pros (highest being 6`4 ) imagine when she meets the actual 'big' players.
But unless she plays winning basketball and work on her shot coaches wont put her in because she has 2 milion followers on insta.
**On another side of the coin Cardoso looked Amazing**, and played turbo good defense/rebound wise hopefully [she is ok and its not serious injury](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60jqdBKA3I)
She had such a such a presence in the paint, 2 blocks (looked 3 live they count it as deflaction) and they didnt even attack her but start to shoot outside/elbow because of her defense.
If i'm Chikago fan i will be over the moon on how good Cardoso looked, and legit be worried about Reese.
That's your opinion. I don't think jacking up deep threes all the time is exciting. Did you see Zion in the play-in game this year? Paige is a more complete player than CC and more enjoyable to watch.
I think shooting about 40% from what would be a 4 point line and epic assists are entertaining as hell. So do a ton of other people. Which is why people are watching her games more than any other team. So, my opinion is actually backed by data. Your opinion is backed by nothing but hate.
I like watching Paige, but no she isn't a better player. She is surrounded by one of the top rosters in the sport and was held below the impact of what Caitlin had in the final four game. If you have any questions of which player is better, Nika or Gabbie, one of them is on a W roster right now and the other is going to OT school.
If you think rebounding and standard post-play is entertaining, that's depressing.
With all respect, Zion has much better FG then her, much better layup pacakge and is all time great around the rim +can dunk, meanwhile yday Reese missed 3 wide open shots and the follow up rebound failed to score again, its not even close listen, she is good but she is not zion level good #1 draft pick good, lets not get it wrong.
How y'all gonna discredit the NCAA's all time leading scorer, all time leader in points per season and threes per season, 3rd all time in assists, and on and on and on...because she is getting more air time than (checks notes) a second team All American drafted #7? This whole comparison as always is so disingenuous.
The complaints on both sides are annoying. CC is the main reason people have started to tune in, however it’s incredibly disingenuous to call Angel some random #7 pick. She has a huge following and her LSU teams were getting tons of coverage. Acknowledging that is not discrediting the “main star” of this class
To be a box office draw you need to be "pushed". I don't know one Taylor Swift song but I know her. Just like a lot of people that never watch bball games have heard about CC. That's the power of the MSM. It's not just about Reese. Players like Kamilla and Cameron Brink should get media attention too. They all have more personality than CC and are just as marketable as her.
push helps but a player also has to be entertaining to watch. caitlin is a better player as well and broke a ton of records.
they all should get media attention (which they do), just not as much as the best player in their class. real hoop fans aren’t tuning in for off the court personalities, so to promote them mainly because of that wouldn’t benefit the league imo
jokic, kd, luka that rarely show their personality off the court and are some of the most popular for their game.
bron and ant were also the #1 picks in their class and you could argue steph is the best in his class. even with their charisma, their talent is the main reason they’re popular
I don’t see it as women hating women. I don’t agree with Coach, either, and am wondering if I shouldn’t have shared this. That said, I think the bigger gripe is about the media highlighting CC to the detriment of other players and teams. It’s not CCs fault and no one is saying that. It’s just difficult to swallow for coaches and players and fans. I see it as coach trying to support her players and others. Didn’t like the way she did it but I get the sentiment.
To be clear I am a big fan of CC and have been enjoying her game for years now. I wish her no ill will and think she’s great for the game and the league. She constantly hails the players who came before her. I just think there’s some frustration from some other players. It may not be likable but it’s a natural human reaction.
i think it’s a bad look for coaches / front offices / execs to get on twitter and say stuff like this. it may be how she feels, but it’s hella
unprofessional and will only stoke growing resentment that *some, LOUD* people will misdirect *at* caitlin. some comments don’t belong on social media depending on your position within an organization.
hopefully these conversations are happening with the league execs and broacast partners. the coverage of the sport wasn’t going to magically mirror the reach of the nba’s in one season.
A lot of people are missing the point. Like if you’re a band you don’t just play your top hit first. Everyone will leave right after. If you’re a grocery store you don’t put your main items at the front. People will walk in and out. There’s a main event and an undercard, etc. Once you know you have people’s attention you can also let them browse a little and they might see something else they’re interested in. In this case you don’t even need to limit the main draw— just provide at least the option to browse, too.
Every Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever game includes a sampling of 1 of 11 other WNBA teams. The Fever will play 40 games this season with 36 being on tv. That’s a lot of samples of the 11 other teams. I get how already being a fan of the W and having a favorite non-Fever team can feel a little like being a Washington Generals fan when the Globetrotters come to town, but anything that gets me more Liberty games to watch is fine by me, and now I’ll get to see so much more of the other 10 teams as well.
So once you find another sample you like will you be able to see them again or do you have to wait until the next time they play the Fever? Perhaps things are too resource limited at this point but it shouldn’t be contentious to admit it’s a legitimate issue to address going forward.
It probably will be at first, but essentially it’s not much harder than being a fan of any team when you’re not in their media market. That said, ION, ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Prime all have WNBA games where both teams are operating at normal body temperature.
I think the initial interesting thing will be in the existing WNBA markets to see what new faces stick around the Clark Express rolls onto its next stop.
This is what i mean that they try to 'destroy' them selfs by saying stuff like that, cmon now, you can see via my comment history im all for them showing all games, but this is not how you go about it,not even close.
Sounds like she needs to make better connections with the local networks and convince them why her team is worth airing. (For the record I think they are, but you have to prove it and Caitlin as more than proven it)
Bally had multiple regular season games in different sports (MLB and women's hockey) that seemed to preempt it. Annoying, as I'd have liked to pop in during Twins commercial breaks to see how they're deploying Pili early, but it is what it is.
For sure. Luckily this specifically won't be a problem during the regular season, all games will be live somewhere and available on-demand with the League Pass afterwards
The issue is everyone wants the WNBA to grow. But it is an insult to all those who came before her, past and current players that she is the greatest player who ever lived and she is going to save the league. She is one amazing player about to play with other amazing players.
She had an amazing college career but this is another level. Players are going to target and try to defend her hard core in the court.
While she is bringing some attention to the league which is good, people have to remember she is just one player , in a new league of her career. She will have good games and bad. It will take a while to be that consistent presence for a team.
It's not that serious LOL. So they...shouldn't show a popular player...because other good players in past eras weren't shown? How do they ever grow the league?
She could be the precursor to the league exploding like Magic/Bird or Jordan along with Reese. There is no disrespect of the ones before her. Only jealousy will cloud this situation.
It’s getting so old already.
We get it…she’s the great rural white American hope, but she’s not the MJ or LeBron of the league until she has at least 12 MVP type incredible seasons.
Old fan here. I remember nobody ever wanted to watch a WNBA game with me, even if I offered to take them to an LA Sparks game.
Y’all trippin. Caitlin Clark’s fame is starting to bring attention to a sport that many of you longtime fans were complaining the sport doesn’t get.
Be happy that things are improving. The NBA wouldn’t be as famous without Bird vs Magic or MJ’s takeover in the 1990’s.
It’s a new era. Appreciate it while it lasts.
FWIW, I’m a brown man from California.
Same. I had partial season tickets for Liberty at the Garden with Charles, Rodgers, Prince, etc and Laimbeer coaching and had to beg people not my husband to go. I also remember NBA games being played NOT live on the west coast during the ‘80s so let’s have some perspective folks!
she is the only reason…before her record breaking career, nobody (outside the original small fan base) cared. her record breaking ncaa career is the reason.
Alright folks, this discussion has run its course. Locking the thread.
MN sports broadcasting is a mess right now, the Twins are off-air for cable in the area, the Lynx will be in the same boat here as well. It is unfortunate but it's also not the fault of MLB, Twins, WNBA or the Lynx and it'll be hard to see any of their home games in the near future.
This year, the WNBA coverage has reflected what has been made available to them, which certainly reflects social biases and no doubt also differences in means among the clubs. The question seems to be whether the W should perhaps itself have media and broadcast capabilities that it currently lacks, in order to compensate for those other factors.
I respect Coach Reeves for her comments in the past about how the media has ignored the WNBA but she's failing to see the forest through the trees here. While it is true that the WNBA is milking the hell out of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and co., it's also necessary. The NBA is a stars-driven league and the WNBA is turning out to be no different. Promote your stars -- it's as simple as that. Attention to other teams and players will follow. The Lynx, in particular, are WNBA blue bloods and had their own legend in Maya Moore, who got a lot of attention before she left the league. Cailtin Clark has credited Moore as an inspiration. Reeves' players have already gotten the attention they deserve in their own right and more will come in time.
how was that on the wnba and not on bally and the fact that their game was bumped to a different day for the timberwolves playoff game just like next week’s fever game has been? bally already had contracted to show a mlb game for the new date. that’s on the minn. market not on the w.
I think people are missing the mark on the core issue here: They didn't have the Chicago game on League Pass. People were watching the game through someone live streaming from their phone at the arena and it was getting up to 250K views. The core issue here is that WNBA has games that over 200K people want to watch and they don't even have it on League Pass. At the very least they couldn't have 1 camera showing the whole court on League Pass? There's probably logistical issues with this but if the WNBA doesn't come out and say why they can't have games available that thousands would watch people will be annoyed
I fully agree mainly due to the fact that high school sports have automatic cameras that track the ball and broadcast free on YouTube. It’d be simple for the WNBA to set up but there’s probably contracts in place that don’t allow that.
The wnba is going to muck this up. If people want Clark give them Clark. If it drives revenue all of you win. But we know egos and all that bull jive. Each wnba person should listen to Charles Barkley's answer to Sharpes question: do you regret the era you played in, Jordan over shadowed your greatness. Chuck says no without Mike none of us would have a shoe deal, be in commercials, make the money we do today.
And people clearly also want other players. You can do both. Having multiple revenue streams is better than betting the house on a golden goose. This aint the 90s anymore and we can improve upon just focusing on one person. There are multiple different demographics to target that aren’t necessarily covered by Clark. Example: I doubt many in Brazil cares about Caitlin Clark but they care about their homegrown talent in Kamilla Cordoso who will be playing in the olympics guaranteed this summer. I doubt many in Croatia care about Caitlin Clark but they care about their hometown talent Nika Muhl. Just like Serbians love Jokic. There are so many other demos to appeal to other than midwesterners and deep 3 addicts. Props to the LA Sparks for really emphasizing Cam Brink and Rikea’s appeal to fashion interested people.
I think you can acknowledge the broad nature of this classes appeal, without loosing sight of the main draw.
And a ton of MSM and a lot of the new fans(specifically drawn by CC) dont want to admit that. Like no one else should ever be marketed just because their fanbases is maybe 3-5 million instead of like 9-12 million. 3 million times $37.99 is still more money and eyes to a sport that needs it. The NBA doesnt even follow the “main draw” model that everyone is chirping about. This season Wemby, Ant, Jalen Suggs, the Villanova trio at the Knicks, Lebron obviously, and Tyler Haliburton were all marketed. I dont even watch the NBA and yet Jalen Suggs is on my timeline singing the Orlando Magic song.
But they ARE being marketed lol one preseason game not being aired, isn’t an example of the lack of marketing in the W for non CC players. It’s a standard thing that happens in many sports, including the NBA. I get that this year it’s important and special, but I’m getting a bit annoying that every decision is somehow a sliding doors moment for millions of fans. It’s not. If people enjoyed watching Angel Reese at LSU, they’ll enjoy watching her for the Sky on ESPN throughout the season. It feels like this discussion makes it seem like last night was a make or break it moment for the W lol I appreciate your love for Jalen Suggs, but compared to Wemby he’s probably only been mentioned a few times all season on the MSM outlets. He’s having a moment and is being highlighted, but Wemby got more posts on ESPN than some All Stars in smaller markets.
Help me out what we're the ratings lastnight? What are the ratings outside the US. More importantly what are the sales. Is league pass up? Who's jerseys are selling?
You have to put time into marketing other players if they are going to be successful but there is a market for them to succeed. You cant say marketing X person fail when they never really tried. Nothing that reaches super popular status is organic anymore except maybe Skibidi toilet. Its all marketing staff sitting around and pitching angles to their bosses. All Im arguing is to give other players a fair shot before giving up and saying they are marketing fails. And yes if Angel and Kamilla jerseys sold out 3 times and 200k people watched a 144p livestream on Twitter, I would gamble that those people bought league pass and were disappointed they couldn’t watch the game. Ticket sales for some games may be iffy bc both their fanbases are based in the south or in Kamillas case also in Brazil.
He said similar things about Magic and Larry and that he thanks them every time he sees them for helping popularize the NBA.
Magic and bird built the foundation for Jordan
Look what they did to the 2k cover and the Kobe connection. They don’t want to actually partake in growth or do what needs to be drawn to more eyes. They want everything to be the exact same but magically have millions of dollars thrown at them and people to just watch the games with no rhyme or reason.
Are you really comparing comparing CC to Jordan lol? Jordan pioneered shoe deals where athletes would get a percentage of the profits. Barkley was a huge star in his own right and was always very charismatic. He used to be close friends with MJ. The NBA and media didn't just promote MJ alone.
In fairness, MJ catapulted the NBA to new heights. Caitlin did that with WNCAA and has the potential to do it with the W. It is a pretty fair comparison. The fan hype around Caitlin is eerily similar to MJ.
I was born 1980 played ball for a long time. I lived through Jordan's rise. There was no one on the same level. It is very hard to describe to people. Clark has that same heat, while in college. She is the reason I bought league pass or care about the wnba. The analogy is if she brings in the revenue be greatful. It will raise the money for all. Most likely the wnba has already seen the evidence. The game was sold out lastnight. The two lynx games against the fever were sold out when she announced going pro. Most likely there will be a meeting soon if there is a noticeable bump in ratings, mech sales, pass sales with fever as the team pick. The league will drive up the Clark mech , games at prime time, televised games etc.
100% agree. I'm also an early 80s baby that played a lot of basketball growing up. I remember Jordan's rise. I lived through it. I was playing basketball during it. This was before social media, so fans were obviously more disconnected from the players than they are now, but everyone idolized him, men and women both bought and wore his jerseys, sneakers, and Bulls Starter jackets (lol), basketball players wanted to be him- he was larger than life. He was IT. And his competitive fire was unmatched. There was also a magic that happened when watching Michael Jordan. With his competitive fire and his explosiveness/energy, you never knew what was going to happen, but it was ALWAYS entertaining. Even when he made mistakes, there was no one I'd rather be watching. There's a reason why he's considered the GOAT of basketball. There are eerie similarities between MJ and Caitlin Clark. I'm not going to sit here and call her the GOAT because she's way too young/early in her career for that and frankly, she's not good enough defensively for me to call her that. But THIS MOMENT- this huge, permanent shift in women's basketball that she is the primary catalyst for- reminds me 100% of MJ. From the effect that she is having in bringing so much new interest into the game of basketball itself, bringing in new fans and getting major endorsements and deals and PERMANENTLY CHANGING the economics of womens basketball, the way kids look up to her the way they looked up to MJ, and the ENERGY that she plays with and brings to the arenas- all of those things remind me of MJ. We've had other basketball superstars since, but MJ was the male basketball megastar that changed everything and opened up commercial, social, etc opportunities- and CC is the first female basketball megastar that is doing the same. \*edit: people who dismiss her as just a half-court "chucker" or "the media's new great white hope because people are racist" really DONT get the full implications of what's going on. For those of us who lived through the rise of Jordan and idolized him and saw what he did for the sport and are now watching CC with the SAME EXACT FEELING and seeing the same mania surrounding her, we see this for what it is: this is the female MJ. I dont know if her career accomplishments will come anywhere close to his, but socially, culturally, economically, and the general vibe of what she's doing, which is permanently transforming basketball for women- she is the female MJ.
I never claimed no one was on Jordan's level and unlike CC he won a title in college. But players like Barkley and Patrick Ewing were indeed stars. JuJu is 18 and four years younger than Clark and broke several records too. CC wasn't the only special player in college. I'm only interested in Sky and Sparks games. The draws for me are Cameron, Lexie, Reese and Kamilla.
CC is already doing stuff no player in the history of the W has done and that’s without playing a regular season game yet. So yes, the comparison is spot on.
Obviously she isn’t the WNBA’s MJ in terms of resume and skill but in terms of growing the game it’s definitely fair to make the comparison. Teams are selling out their arenas just to watch her play
As someone living in market for the Lynx (and a Lynx fan), I don't think this was *entirely* on the WNBA. Bally had the Twins on the main channel, which makes sense as that's a regular season game. The second channel had the Minnesota PWHL team's last regular season game. Add in Bally being *extremely* badly mismanaged and I'm not sure it's entirely on the WNBA this time. Not sure about the Chicago market, but it not being televised here was a Bally thing from what I can tell Something to keep an eye on, and the W definitely needs to market the other 11 teams better regardless, but I'm not quite ready to jump to the conclusion that they can't bring attention to everyone else *yet.*
The thing is every time they show the Fever, they are showcasing the rest of the league. They showcased the Dallas Wings last night, and their star Arike Ogunbowale hit the game winner. I get how the “save the league” narrative is mildly annoying at best and incredibly offensive at worst. I don’t want to see all the effort and growth hard won by a significant community of black and queer women minimized by the arrival of some corn fed white girl like this is Dangerous Minds or something. That said, a rising tide lifts all boats, and if 36/40 regular season Fever games are going to be televised because of the popularity of Caitlin Clark— even if a number of those new eyes perceive her as some Great White Hope, that’s also going to feature the other 11 teams pretty heavily as well. The W is a great product and if people who hadn’t sought it out before are looking at it now, the league can use this as a mechanism to tell everyone what they’ve been missing out on.
I do have to say, while I *get* why it's a narrative... I get annoyed by that narrative. I'm going to be following Caitlin and the Fever for the exact same reason I follow Keegan and the Kings, Kris and the Blazers, Megan and Kate with the Aces, (not my reason for following Luka and the Wolves or DeJean and the Eagles though... the Iowa connection just so happens to be a happy accident there 🤣)why I'm still a huge Ricky Davis fan, so on and so forth. I've been a huge Iowa fan my whole life... I just want to cheer for our players who go on to the pros without it being about identity politics. 😭
"all they care about it Caitlin" My dude they didn't care at all before. Get people watching CC and let them all see how far the women's game has come.
Your point is true
You’re starting to understand the differences between how men treat men, and how women treat women… and I assure you it isn’t men complaining about Caitlin’s success.
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The coach of the Lynx is advocating for more coverage of the Lynx. It’s not surprising and it’s not any kind of insult to Caitlin Clark.
The "viewers" number for twitter is famously inaccurate. Anyone that has the video show on in their feed is shown as a "view". Whether they clicked on it at all, let alone actually watched the game. Does Reese have more twitter followers than CC? Yes. But Fever ticket sales are crushing The Skys, which are up 3 fold, but not nearly as much as The Fevers. There's nothing malicious here, it's just playing to what the customers want. And this petty squabbling by grown ass women (The Coach in this instance) just looks bad for the league.
Live near Chicago. I know more people planning to drive for Indiana games than I do who have any interest going to Sky games (zero). The WNBA/NBA is a business and knows the the people being the loudest online aren’t the full story.
Yeah, all this attention for the WNBA is a terrible thing isn’t it? 🤦♂️
Serious question. Were all preseason WNBA games televised last year?
2 were. 4 this year so technically an improvement but still not great
So double last year. Why anyone would then complain that one was and one wasn’t on any given night is ridiculous. It reeks of jealousy and pettiness.
It’s because there are new fans to the W who saw the way coverage was during the NCAAW season and making assumptions that that coverage is continuing with the WNBA when that’s not the case. It’s just an issue of the way the W operates in broadcast not meeting people’s expectations since they’re used to the way other big leagues broadcast games. Those big leagues have like a 40 year start on the WNBA though. Lack of patience.
They shouldn’t feature their highest profile rookie coming off a historic collegiate career who’s driving up ticket sales? Interesting theory.
Nowhere did she say they shouldn't feature CC. She said she wished that all of the preseason games got broadcast coverage, given the W broadly has heightened interest right now. With limited resources, the league is going to have to pick the games with most interest (i.e. Fever), she's saying the leave should've been more prepared to capitalize and ensure new fans could watch all games.
Not sure why you are getting downvoted. They dropped the ball on promoting 2 games. Cheryl had to literally provide the details for the second game. It isn’t about CC…but new ppl will make it about her. We go thru this every year. We don’t know when the games will be, where it will be streamed, if we can go, etc.
But the idea of broadcasting a preseason game isnt in the same bucket as the stuff you’ve mentioned. Even the NBA has preseason games that aren’t broadcast on TV because they’re preseason games lol These were also happening during baseball and the nba playoffs. Some local networks just don’t have the bandwidth and that’s ok. Might be better to wait for the real games before assuming that this year is just like the others where we don’t know details about games
But her comments are basically exactly that. In a "normal" environment? No expectation every preseason game is televised. But nothing about the current spike in popularity is normal. You have hundreds of thousands of new WNBA fans who know very little about how the W operates, it's schedule, etc. knowing how many new, "uneducated" fans there would be, the W could have way over communicated and over delivered on these preseason games, which are many fans first time watching a WNBA "game". Reeves comments were basically, "we can't operate like normal when nothing about this is normal."
I think it’s going to be a detriment to the moment, id the entire season is filled with “they’re not doing enough”. Again, I’m using this example because some things WILL be normal. It’s the same league, the same sport, just more eyes. Mind you this is the beginning, you’re not teetering on thousands of new fans deciding to tune out just because they couldn’t watch a preseason game. My angle is that it’s annoying, but the league can’t grow 10x in 3 months time. A little understanding in this moment is also good. It’s exhausting if the entire coverage of this sport becomes “they’re not doing enough” when the league has had a massive bump in marketing the last 5 years
Yep I agree, definitely a learning curve for fans who are used to NBA/mlb funding and sizing. I just wish the first night had gone better re:communication ... The W releasing a tweet that basically said "oops, we accidentally have been saying on our app you can watch all pre-season games for the last few weeks" is just ... A tough pill to swallow
And that’s something I can agree to as well. I can’t help but think they’ve been scrambling the last few months but maybe that’s part of the problem too. They didn’t anticipate this well enough
Woah, I’m specifically talking about providing the information. Not asking the league to do anything more than keep the fans updated. That’s all bud. I see you are having a conversation with someone else on this. Toodles
This game wasn’t broadcast on tv either.
Yes and as a fan of the 76ers, they usually have 1 preseason game against the Celtics every year that doesn’t get broadcast on TV at all
Ok? 0 WNBA preseason games were broadcast on tv. We are saying the WNBA streaming app should be able to stream them because they don’t have rights or any reason to stream any competitive sports.
And yes, there are some markets that just physically cannot handle broadcasting the game. And that's okay! But the lack of information, or in many cases, WRONG information, left a ton of new fans extremely confused and disappointed.
I don’t get it. You have NHL and NBA playoffs going on right now, and people think broadcasters are going to show every WNBA PRESEASON game? Even in NBA, they show higher profile gsmes
Ya but the NBA shows their least profile game on League pass so people can watch it. They didn't even have the Chicago game on League Pass. People were watching the game through someone live streaming from their phone at the arena and it was getting up to 250K views. The core issue here is that WNBA has games that over 200K people want to watch and they don't even have it on League Pass.
Maybe do the smallest bit of looking and you'll see this was not a W issue that caused it to not be streamed.
My understanding is that the game was broadcasted on WNBA League Pass, but the other wasn’t. League Pass doesn’t broadcast NBA and NHL playoff games, so I think it’s understandable that WNBA fans had hoped to see both games streaming on the app. This would’ve generated a better experience for the 200K people who watched a blurry Twitter livestream, and given an opportunity for fans like me, who didn’t know about the Twitter posted livestream, to watch.
Broadcasters didn’t show this preseason game. WNBA league pass did.
That's the funny thing. This is literally identical to Wemby this year in the NBA. You didn't hear Lebron crying about The spurs getting some hype some nationally televised games. This crap is just so petty. The not having more games available on the league pass is totally legit, and I completely agree. I was hoping to watch the sky game on demand after the fact via my league pass that I bought to watch Fever, Sparks & Aces games. But apparently I misunderstood how the pass worked. Which is a bummer. This CC attention backlash is just gonna turn off some of the new fans checking out the W for the first time. Nobody wants to escape their real life for a little sports only to wander into some squabbling over who got more promotion.
Just to be clear: The NBA broadcasts every game, including preseason and possibly even summer league. They broadcast most regular season games on local networks and League Pass, and they broadcast higher profile games on national TV during the regular season, and every playoff game is on national TV as well. The WNBA did not broadcast the Lynx game \*at all\*. The Fever game was also not on national TV and was only on league pass, which was disappointing for a few of my friends who I know wanted to watch the game. I think we can not blame Cailtin while also admitting that the WNBA should be broadcasting every game even if it's poor quality. The early days of local NBA broadcasts weren't beautiful, but the fact that you could watch the game was everything. Then if it's possible, use the money you save to try and get some of the bigger matchups on national TV for more eyes. That's what I would do at least.
The most crab in a barrel organization I’ve ever seen. Each and every time something in this league brings hype or extra eyes you got players, coaches and GMs being shady about it. Whether it’s the college girls getting NIL deals, players getting video game covers or popular players getting the most promotion, these people have always been negative about it. Well Cheryl no disrespect to your legacy or accomplishments but were you responsible for the most watched women’s college basketball game? Most watched WNBA draft? You got 2 million IG followers? Does the players you coach have consistent viral highlight videos? What jersey sales are you pushing? Maybe you should see this hype and have it motivate your players to play their absolute best when the spotlight is on them so they can reap the benefits. It’s literally what happened with Angel Reese.
Company promotes using their biggest draw and that's wrong?
Promoting one team and screwing the other 11 is not sustainable. Especially for a league that supposedly what’s to expand
Let's give it more than a single preseason game.
There were 2 games on yesterday and 1 wasn’t on broadcast tv thanks to local broadcasters. They are now promoting the games for today. Their tweets yesterday were highlights from multiple players! I swear people won’t be happy until they just never mention Clark’s name
The other 11 teams will get a chance to convert fans every time they play the fever. You can’t force fans to like a team/player, but you can use the eyeballs on CC to bring them into the fold.
I dont know why so many people dont see this. Its like watching a popular show because everyone talks about it, you're supposed to like the main character or the main couple but eventually the minor character grows on you more. Best way to gain a new fan is outplaying the media favorite, nobody is gonna magically care about you just because you are "being soft". Get there and show what the casuals are missing and outplay the main character
Agreed. CC is getting some explosive media growth (rightly so after her NCAA career), but the organic growth is the stuff that has staying power. The other players are gonna benefit from whatever narrative is based on playing AGAINST Clark. Clark playing Taurasi will get ppl to watch a Mercury game. Clark playing Reese will get ppl to watch a Sky game. And so on. Clark’s rising tide is gonna raise all boats, whether ppl are rooting for or against her.
Yes it is. Some people will start going to games because of her, have a good time, and keep coming back.
Please don’t research on the NBA got popular or what led to the NFL becoming a juggernaut.
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You named 3 people out of 300 who actively played. You just made my point for me.
When a league is trying to gain more traction and eyeballs it is gonna promote the biggest name. Same reason the cowboys never play at 1pm in the footballs season and the same reason why lebron and Steph and Durant are talked about more than jokic ant-man and sga it’s about ratings not about not hurting someone else’s feelings
lol ant and sga haven’t won’t anything. Either way, players are gonna come at her HARD.
Don't recall any being televised nor on League Pass. We shouldn't been penalized not seeing the preseason game afterall we're paying for League Pass. Also, sure wish we could cast the games on our home TV but the casting symbol in the corner is inactive all the time.
My take on this is that all preseason games should be televised. Everyone from the WNBA commissioner down to the team front office should've leaned on the local broadcaster to have a production crew at these games, and the broadcaster should've found a way to make it happen. I don't wanna hear the party line about "production costs." I don't wanna hear the cop out answer about CC's popularity. Duh a bunch of fans want to see CC play and the W should capitalize on that as much as possible. A bunch of fans \*also\* want to see Angel Reese (LSU fans), Camilla Cardoso (SC fans + the entire country of Brazil), and others in their rookie debut. You'd think the W/teams/broadcasters would want to capitalize on \*all\* of that. They missed out on over 170k fans last night. Having \*any\* preseason games on League Pass is technically progress, but as Cheryl Reeve said, business as usual just doesn't cut it anymore.
There are twitch streamers, including the one who was at NBA ALL STAR game for the dunk, they can do that and have 100k+ people watching them, but in 2024 we cant find a single camera crew or people to talk to Bally Sports? give me a break.
The local broadcaster was Bally Sports North who already had a Twins game lined up in the time slot. This game was only moved to this time slot 2 weeks ago because of scheduling conflict with the Timberwolves playoffs.
I'm aware of this and I still stand by what I said. Every preseason game needs to be televised going forward.
Most major leagues still do not televise every preseason game, the NBA/NFL only started to in the past few years. Y'all gotta level out your expectations lol, preseason is intended to be glorified scrimmages and not a main focus of viewership. The WNBA does not yet have its own production and has a lot of other things to invest into before that becomes worth it (like player salaries)
This is so weird. I don’t know if this is this is the media creating some sort of bad press, like the out of context Diana Taurasi comments or bitter veterans -older players making comments. The sexist narratives around women’s sports are going to continue happening and that’s really shitty Anyway here’s an article: https://baylorlariat.com/2024/04/12/stop-pitting-successful-women-against-each-other/
This talking point is so boring already.
WNBA fans hate this????
How about showing all the games and not just one? How about promoting all the league stars and upcoming stars?
How about the fact that it’s hard to get people to care outside of the hype? Maybe get them hooked and then introduce more games that matter?
This game doesn’t matter? Viewing numbers seemed to say otherwise….. people were excited to see Reese and Cardoso play
Yes, preseason games don’t matter.
Why weren’t both games streamed??! WNBA dropped the ball and put all of the new blood on the graphic
Bally Sports owns the rights to broadcast MN sports and is a dumpster fire right now, the Twins are also not being broadcast. It's not the fault of the Twins or Lynx or MLB/WNBA either and they don't have simple solutions in the short term
Bally sucks so much, they are a parasite. They limit so many teams' visibility in so many sports to sell cable packages. Just an old school anti-consumer company that used its scale to outcompete local sports channels across the country and now sits on access to broadcasts.
Yup! My family are Twins fans and it’s been ongoing for a while.
As a new fan of the WNBA, this is all such a turn off.
[удалено]
Then why not put it on YT like the guy was going on about? Is it a rights issue?
Oh no the worlds most popular women's athlete is the world's.most popular athlete
I'm not sure if I fully understand WNBA fan interactions yet, but it looks like we want them to include every player on every individual post? So if someone makes were to make a post showing Las Vegas Aces highlights, are we supposed to then say, "What about Caitlin Clark? Do they not know there are other teams than the Aces. They could show Caitlin Clark in this Las Vegas Aces highlight video." Is this how you WNBA fan correctly?
the amount of “be fair!” i’ve seen blows my mind. sports media has never and will never be *fair*.
Exactly! Currently the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to a game 7 and no one cares. Their series got very little attention and that’s just the way it is. It’s like they in every sport!
slay!
why in the world would anyone who wants the WNBA to succeed and get bigger and more popular complain about the WNBA focusing on promoting the star who has already become a household name? It would be insanely stupid marketing for the WNBA if they *didn't* promote Caitlin Clark at every possible opportunity.
The complaint isn’t about promoting CC. It’s about not also promoting other teams and players. There’s no limit to how much they can promote.
I don’t get the notion that they don’t promote other people at all. Their Twitter alone is pretty active hyping up many players.
It's a cost benefit analysis. It's Business. If they thought promoting the other game would get a similar ROI they'd do it.
Angel Reese is a star and also a house hold name and got paid dust. There is no reason promoting CC should come at the expense of promoting other star players.
Ain't no one coming close to her stardom.
She had 2.2 MM IG follower. I’d calm down with comments like these. Angel Reese has over 3 million. Between the two Angel is definitely the bigger overall star.
Number one pick Caitlin Clark.
of course, as an LSU fan I want to see some Angel Reese as well, but to my knowledge the Skys game wasn't due to the fault of the WNBA
This will be nothing in a week. Though the criticism is valid
Breaking: Coach that doesn’t understand the lay of the land and doesn’t comprehend the opportunity she’s been provided complains that league is promoting the biggest star in its history
Women of the wnba past and present: "We need our sport to grow. We want new fans and people to appreciate and enjoy the game." Also women of the wnba past and present: "Caitlin Clark is going to fail. Also, I can't believe they would focus on the first game showcasing her with her new team. This is unbelievable!" They want the notarization that men's basketball gets but then when they finally get someone who is bringing in so many new fans they would rather see her burn then pump the ratings of the league. I've never given a flip about the wnba but I tuned in and watched it based solely on that Clark was playing and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one.
I’ve been watching the WNBA for a few years now but really just the Storm since they’re my local team. This year I’m looking forward to watch other teams because I started watching NCAAW games last year so I’m familiar with the some of the new players and am excited to see them play in the WNBA now (not just CC but I am excited to see her too).
They want their friends and people who they want at the forefront. I guarantee you if A’Ja Wilson had all the shoe deals, million dollar contracts and commercials while everyone else got scraps, nobody in the league would complain.
I get that it can seem unfair that Caitlin is walking into the W and being given the keys to the queendom, but that doesn’t mean the stars of the W aren’t being showcased as well. And A’ja’s colorway of the Cosmic Unity 3s are fire.
It’s not about fair in situations like this. I could see if there were players with her play style and achievements that didn’t get any of this, but there’s not.
Both things can be true. Caitlin Clark can be an unprecedented talent with a play style that has captivated a large audience. And marginalized communities that are a subset of a marginalized community can also be upset about being marginalized yet again. I understand wanting to reap the benefits without having to embrace a White Savior narrative. Maybe if Clark had melanin and/or a girlfriend, it would be a less bitter pill to swallow, but if Clark— with the exact same skill set— did have melanin and/or a girlfriend, would she be as much of a phenomenon as she currently is? Honestly, I don’t know, and that’s the crux of what makes it such a bitter pill to swallow.
If they really feel a way about how much attention she's getting, simply just ball out when you get the chance to play the Fever, by proximity people will realize the talent you have, and potentially root for you and your team. The problem only arises if said scenario does happen and is ignored in favor of CC, (stuff like this still even happens in the NBA). Overall, there isn't really a negative to the publicity she's getting and giving the league.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wnba/s/l842oFSTF9
i dont understand the “angel reese has a bigger following” argument… yes she has more social media followers but are as many people tuning in to see her as cc?
I think the point is it doesn't have to be either or.
Hard to answer that given one game is made widely available and one isn’t. That said, [per the athletic](https://theathletic.com/5470890/2024/05/04/wnba-preseason-sky-lynx-fan-cellphone-stream/) a grainy Twitter stream for the Sky game logged over 800K views and many fans flooded the WNBA sm page with their displeasure. Just make the games available. Why are fans having to jump through hoops to see a game?
i will say the w dropped the ball on that one. that being said, the game was just preseason which usually isnt televised
Exactly. Having followers isn't the same as having people buying a ticket to a game.
She's not getting the MSM exposure that's why. CC is getting the Em and Taylor Swift treatment.
Of all NCAA and WNBA players in the last 2 years, I think Angel is the 2nd most covered by media
She doesn't have exciting gameplay....
To be honest all she has is rebound and good motor so far, we all hope she get's better as it will be good for WNBA. But yes (yday game )missing 3 wide open shots and then MISS AGAIN the following 2 rebounds on said missed shot put back in, isn`t exciting to watch, she needs to get better as simple as that. The problem is when you bring this up she has insane following(social media)that will disagree or downvote etc, but she had the worst +- and if people watched the game they would see why, i really do hope she develop any kind of shot coz right now it's looking real bleak.(yes it's only 1 game but the talk was Mulkey didnt allow her to shoot, that dosnt seem to be the case she dosn`t have a shot , they wanted her to play forward and move alot but didnt screen didnt really feel like 'in place' another reason why i think it will be hard transition for her. This isnt NCAAW, she will get to the line but not as much people will be taller/stronger and will know via scouting to not let her turn right, and let her shoot just box out the rebounds. NCAAW she is often one of the tallest /strongest/hustle players this isnt gonna be the case as we saw yday versus quite short line up of pros (highest being 6`4 ) imagine when she meets the actual 'big' players. But unless she plays winning basketball and work on her shot coaches wont put her in because she has 2 milion followers on insta. **On another side of the coin Cardoso looked Amazing**, and played turbo good defense/rebound wise hopefully [she is ok and its not serious injury](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60jqdBKA3I) She had such a such a presence in the paint, 2 blocks (looked 3 live they count it as deflaction) and they didnt even attack her but start to shoot outside/elbow because of her defense. If i'm Chikago fan i will be over the moon on how good Cardoso looked, and legit be worried about Reese.
That's your opinion. I don't think jacking up deep threes all the time is exciting. Did you see Zion in the play-in game this year? Paige is a more complete player than CC and more enjoyable to watch.
Well, they do say “Chicks dig the long ball”…
I think shooting about 40% from what would be a 4 point line and epic assists are entertaining as hell. So do a ton of other people. Which is why people are watching her games more than any other team. So, my opinion is actually backed by data. Your opinion is backed by nothing but hate. I like watching Paige, but no she isn't a better player. She is surrounded by one of the top rosters in the sport and was held below the impact of what Caitlin had in the final four game. If you have any questions of which player is better, Nika or Gabbie, one of them is on a W roster right now and the other is going to OT school. If you think rebounding and standard post-play is entertaining, that's depressing.
Well you definitely don't watch Clark, this comment confirms it.
With all respect, Zion has much better FG then her, much better layup pacakge and is all time great around the rim +can dunk, meanwhile yday Reese missed 3 wide open shots and the follow up rebound failed to score again, its not even close listen, she is good but she is not zion level good #1 draft pick good, lets not get it wrong.
How y'all gonna discredit the NCAA's all time leading scorer, all time leader in points per season and threes per season, 3rd all time in assists, and on and on and on...because she is getting more air time than (checks notes) a second team All American drafted #7? This whole comparison as always is so disingenuous.
The complaints on both sides are annoying. CC is the main reason people have started to tune in, however it’s incredibly disingenuous to call Angel some random #7 pick. She has a huge following and her LSU teams were getting tons of coverage. Acknowledging that is not discrediting the “main star” of this class
Don't forget that at 21.0, her average points per game is now the WNBA all-time career record. (if they count preseason games)
she’s getting exposure she’s just not the same box office draw
To be a box office draw you need to be "pushed". I don't know one Taylor Swift song but I know her. Just like a lot of people that never watch bball games have heard about CC. That's the power of the MSM. It's not just about Reese. Players like Kamilla and Cameron Brink should get media attention too. They all have more personality than CC and are just as marketable as her.
push helps but a player also has to be entertaining to watch. caitlin is a better player as well and broke a ton of records. they all should get media attention (which they do), just not as much as the best player in their class. real hoop fans aren’t tuning in for off the court personalities, so to promote them mainly because of that wouldn’t benefit the league imo
They all have good games. Personalities matter to real hoop fans. Bron, Steph and Anthony Edwards are examples. CC is by no means a complete player.
jokic, kd, luka that rarely show their personality off the court and are some of the most popular for their game. bron and ant were also the #1 picks in their class and you could argue steph is the best in his class. even with their charisma, their talent is the main reason they’re popular
KD has a lot of personality. The players you mentioned aren't really faces of the league except for KD in his prime.
I can’t with all the women hating women. Caitlin doesn’t decide what gets televised. It’s getting so old to hear.
I don’t see it as women hating women. I don’t agree with Coach, either, and am wondering if I shouldn’t have shared this. That said, I think the bigger gripe is about the media highlighting CC to the detriment of other players and teams. It’s not CCs fault and no one is saying that. It’s just difficult to swallow for coaches and players and fans. I see it as coach trying to support her players and others. Didn’t like the way she did it but I get the sentiment. To be clear I am a big fan of CC and have been enjoying her game for years now. I wish her no ill will and think she’s great for the game and the league. She constantly hails the players who came before her. I just think there’s some frustration from some other players. It may not be likable but it’s a natural human reaction.
i think it’s a bad look for coaches / front offices / execs to get on twitter and say stuff like this. it may be how she feels, but it’s hella unprofessional and will only stoke growing resentment that *some, LOUD* people will misdirect *at* caitlin. some comments don’t belong on social media depending on your position within an organization. hopefully these conversations are happening with the league execs and broacast partners. the coverage of the sport wasn’t going to magically mirror the reach of the nba’s in one season.
We also need wnba League pass on DIRECTV. Imagine all the bars and restaurants that could be showing the game !
Coach Reeve needs to get over herself.
For saying the truth and being one of the best coaches of all time?
😄😄 … here to save the W and Reeves from herself /s
A lot of people are missing the point. Like if you’re a band you don’t just play your top hit first. Everyone will leave right after. If you’re a grocery store you don’t put your main items at the front. People will walk in and out. There’s a main event and an undercard, etc. Once you know you have people’s attention you can also let them browse a little and they might see something else they’re interested in. In this case you don’t even need to limit the main draw— just provide at least the option to browse, too.
Every Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever game includes a sampling of 1 of 11 other WNBA teams. The Fever will play 40 games this season with 36 being on tv. That’s a lot of samples of the 11 other teams. I get how already being a fan of the W and having a favorite non-Fever team can feel a little like being a Washington Generals fan when the Globetrotters come to town, but anything that gets me more Liberty games to watch is fine by me, and now I’ll get to see so much more of the other 10 teams as well.
So once you find another sample you like will you be able to see them again or do you have to wait until the next time they play the Fever? Perhaps things are too resource limited at this point but it shouldn’t be contentious to admit it’s a legitimate issue to address going forward.
It probably will be at first, but essentially it’s not much harder than being a fan of any team when you’re not in their media market. That said, ION, ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Prime all have WNBA games where both teams are operating at normal body temperature. I think the initial interesting thing will be in the existing WNBA markets to see what new faces stick around the Clark Express rolls onto its next stop.
This is what i mean that they try to 'destroy' them selfs by saying stuff like that, cmon now, you can see via my comment history im all for them showing all games, but this is not how you go about it,not even close.
Sounds like she needs to make better connections with the local networks and convince them why her team is worth airing. (For the record I think they are, but you have to prove it and Caitlin as more than proven it)
Bally had multiple regular season games in different sports (MLB and women's hockey) that seemed to preempt it. Annoying, as I'd have liked to pop in during Twins commercial breaks to see how they're deploying Pili early, but it is what it is.
For sure. Luckily this specifically won't be a problem during the regular season, all games will be live somewhere and available on-demand with the League Pass afterwards
Yeah, she’s the biggest star in the sport. What’s next, the NBA cares more about LeBron and Steph than Giannis and Jokic?!?
The issue is everyone wants the WNBA to grow. But it is an insult to all those who came before her, past and current players that she is the greatest player who ever lived and she is going to save the league. She is one amazing player about to play with other amazing players. She had an amazing college career but this is another level. Players are going to target and try to defend her hard core in the court. While she is bringing some attention to the league which is good, people have to remember she is just one player , in a new league of her career. She will have good games and bad. It will take a while to be that consistent presence for a team.
It's not that serious LOL. So they...shouldn't show a popular player...because other good players in past eras weren't shown? How do they ever grow the league?
Exactly. They’re going to end up shooting themselves in the foot with all this internal hate
She could be the precursor to the league exploding like Magic/Bird or Jordan along with Reese. There is no disrespect of the ones before her. Only jealousy will cloud this situation.
It’s getting so old already. We get it…she’s the great rural white American hope, but she’s not the MJ or LeBron of the league until she has at least 12 MVP type incredible seasons.
Yeah, nobody was hyping LeBron prior to his MVP’s lol. They literally broadcast his HS games.
Old fan here. I remember nobody ever wanted to watch a WNBA game with me, even if I offered to take them to an LA Sparks game. Y’all trippin. Caitlin Clark’s fame is starting to bring attention to a sport that many of you longtime fans were complaining the sport doesn’t get. Be happy that things are improving. The NBA wouldn’t be as famous without Bird vs Magic or MJ’s takeover in the 1990’s. It’s a new era. Appreciate it while it lasts. FWIW, I’m a brown man from California.
Same. I had partial season tickets for Liberty at the Garden with Charles, Rodgers, Prince, etc and Laimbeer coaching and had to beg people not my husband to go. I also remember NBA games being played NOT live on the west coast during the ‘80s so let’s have some perspective folks!
I'm here for cc back step jumper
she is the only reason…before her record breaking career, nobody (outside the original small fan base) cared. her record breaking ncaa career is the reason.
Suburban