WNBA Offseason Thread

[KembaWalker]

They should have given ROTY this season to the entirety of the WNBA to symbolize and celebrate this fresh new start that somehow magically materialized out of thin air and is totally not attributable to any one person

[Billy Goat]

I almost took the bait, but I’m a changed person.

Too bad I’m right. They will always resent her

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Too bad you’re wrong, on all accounts.

Surely in the NBA when players, certain coaches, or “fans” would complain about certain star players getting attention or bad for the league, it meant the league was against them!

These clips are worthy of discussion, but why jump to such extreme conclusions?

Also you calling what she’s doing pandering is extremely incorrect. Pandering would imply she’s only saying those things to fit in. She hits the nail on the head every time. Clark doesn’t care about fitting in, and she certainly doesn’t care about fans with your mentality.

Ok. It still doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the league resents her. She will leave the wnba within 3 years. And you can bookmark that.

[TheWitcher]

They should have given ROTY this season to the entirety of the WNBA to symbolize and celebrate this fresh new start that somehow magically materialized out of thin air and is totally not attributable to any one person

See at least Kemba makes me laugh once in a while. I have no beef with him.

[TheWitcher]

Too bad I’m right. They will always resent her

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Too bad you’re wrong, on all accounts.

Surely in the NBA when players, certain coaches, or “fans” would complain about certain star players getting attention or bad for the league, it meant the league was against them!

These clips are worthy of discussion, but why jump to such extreme conclusions?

Also you calling what she’s doing pandering is extremely incorrect. Pandering would imply she’s only saying those things to fit in. She hits the nail on the head every time. Clark doesn’t care about fitting in, and she certainly doesn’t care about fans with your mentality.

Ok. It still doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the league resents her. She will leave the wnba within 3 years. And you can bookmark that.

Again, “the rest of the league?”

Please be reasonable

[cdubbz]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

[Mephariel]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

Caitlyn Clark absolutely deserves athlete of the year. She was the most talked about, buzz-generating athlete of 2024 that mostly backed up her hype with skill.

Johnson is wrong.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Unfortunately what she said gets lost because she focused on what Time magazine did, which is not racist. Clark is the athlete of the year. No question about it. And no, the entire WNBA shouldn't be on the cover.

[cdubbz]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Clarks fans don't have to flock to any other players. Why is that even a question? Do we ask that about any other player? There's rarely any race talk in the NBA.

[Green Chile]

As a big fan of the league, we just can't have an owner saying something this stupid.

The truth is, this is the stupid opinion of one bad owner.

But we know that's not how this plays. It feeds a ridiculous narrative that the entire WNBA does not like Caitlin. We know that's silly, but whoever is trying to push that narrative has done a really good job of it.

I know the people that want to believe that are always going to believe that no matter what, and will never be fans of the league. So from that standpoint, it really doesn't matter.

But we can't have a league owner feeding into this stuff

It's a wonderful league. I dream of a time when all these silly side arguments are just background noise and the main focus is the wonderful product on the court.

[jc23]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

Caitlyn Clark absolutely deserves athlete of the year. She was the most talked about, buzz-generating athlete of 2024 that mostly backed up her hype with skill.

Johnson is wrong.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Unfortunately what she said gets lost because she focused on what Time magazine did, which is not racist. Clark is the athlete of the year. No question about it. And no, the entire WNBA shouldn't be on the cover.

no, because no female basketball player past or present has ever balled like Caitlin does. Another reason its not a valid question is we have seen plenty of black female athletes in other sports dominate in both popularity and endorsements.

The outlier is its happening in the WNBA for the first time; some people are shook that the player that broke through looks like Caitlin. It the only explanation i can think of for all of these terrible takes ive seen the last 3 years.

[jc23]

As a big fan of the league, we just can't have an owner saying something this stupid.

The truth is, this is the stupid opinion of one bad owner.

But we know that's not how this plays. It feeds a ridiculous narrative that the entire WNBA does not like Caitlin. We know that's silly, but whoever is trying to push that narrative has done a really good job of it.

I know the people that want to believe that are always going to believe that no matter what, and will never be fans of the league. So from that standpoint, it really doesn't matter.

But we can't have a league owner feeding into this stuff

It's a wonderful league. I dream of a time when all these silly side arguments are just background noise and the main focus is the wonderful product on the court.

its the everybody hate's her and the she is only popular because of her race crowds that have really soured this moment in history.

[Mephariel]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Clarks fans don't have to flock to any other players. Why is that even a question? Do we ask that about any other player? There's rarely any race talk in the NBA.

Because NBA fans, by in large, supports all players. My favorite player is De'Aaron Fox, but I also love to watch Edwards, Jokic, Tatum, etc. I probably can say that about most of the fans in the league. Both attendance and online discussions have shown that there is a healthy balance of interest in most of the players, not just one.

Both attendance and online discussion have shown that there is a lot of support for Clark, but not necessarily the WNBA. That is why race is being discussed. You don't want race being discussed, support the league. Not just one player. Go to any forum or mainstream site and you can't get past 10 posts without a Clark fan dissing a WNBA player.

[Mephariel]

Tired and been tired of race always being the topic in the WNBA.

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

Caitlyn Clark absolutely deserves athlete of the year. She was the most talked about, buzz-generating athlete of 2024 that mostly backed up her hype with skill.

Johnson is wrong.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Unfortunately what she said gets lost because she focused on what Time magazine did, which is not racist. Clark is the athlete of the year. No question about it. And no, the entire WNBA shouldn't be on the cover.

no, because no female basketball player past or present has ever balled like Caitlin does. Another reason its not a valid question is we have seen plenty of black female athletes in other sports dominate in both popularity and endorsements.

The outlier is its happening in the WNBA for the first time; some people are shook that the player that broke through looks like Caitlin. It the only explanation i can think of for all of these terrible takes ive seen the last 3 years.

I agree with you that Clark's skillset makes her an outlier. I would also argue that Wilson's skillset makes her an outlier. She was literally breaking records in the WNBA. Hidalgo and Watkins are breaking records in the WNCAA now. Support the league. Support women's basketball. Then the WNBA would have broke through a while back. Stop dissing the league and other players and we wouldn't have this conversation.

[jc23]

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

Caitlyn Clark absolutely deserves athlete of the year. She was the most talked about, buzz-generating athlete of 2024 that mostly backed up her hype with skill.

Johnson is wrong.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Unfortunately what she said gets lost because she focused on what Time magazine did, which is not racist. Clark is the athlete of the year. No question about it. And no, the entire WNBA shouldn't be on the cover.

no, because no female basketball player past or present has ever balled like Caitlin does. Another reason its not a valid question is we have seen plenty of black female athletes in other sports dominate in both popularity and endorsements.

The outlier is its happening in the WNBA for the first time; some people are shook that the player that broke through looks like Caitlin. It the only explanation i can think of for all of these terrible takes ive seen the last 3 years.

I agree with you that Clark's skillset makes her an outlier. I would also argue that Wilson's skillset makes her an outlier. She was literally breaking records in the WNBA. Hidalgo and Watkins are breaking records in the WNCAA now. Support the league. Support women's basketball. Then the WNBA would have broke through a while back. Stop dissing the league and other players and we wouldn't have this conversation.

people will support what entertains them. You cant force it because its organic; thats why the wnba has never broken through. Caitlin will continue to be an outlier in the ratings because of how unique she is. But a rising tide raises all ships; we have already seen this with the recent wnba finals viewership and scuttlebutt in comparison to recent years. even this forum reflects the change in popularity

there are two groups of people at opposite ends of the debate that are fueling this conversation. if they havent changed their tune by now they never will.

[MrBigShot]

Because whether we like it or not, race is a part of sports.

Caitlyn Clark absolutely deserves athlete of the year. She was the most talked about, buzz-generating athlete of 2024 that mostly backed up her hype with skill.

Johnson is wrong.

But her point is a valid question. Would a black female basketball player received Clark's accolades and popularity? Why aren't Clark's fans flocking to support Hannah Hidalgo, who is doing some amazing things in the WNCAA?

Unfortunately what she said gets lost because she focused on what Time magazine did, which is not racist. Clark is the athlete of the year. No question about it. And no, the entire WNBA shouldn't be on the cover.

no, because no female basketball player past or present has ever balled like Caitlin does. Another reason its not a valid question is we have seen plenty of black female athletes in other sports dominate in both popularity and endorsements.

The outlier is its happening in the WNBA for the first time; some people are shook that the player that broke through looks like Caitlin. It the only explanation i can think of for all of these terrible takes ive seen the last 3 years.

I agree with you that Clark's skillset makes her an outlier. I would also argue that Wilson's skillset makes her an outlier. She was literally breaking records in the WNBA. Hidalgo and Watkins are breaking records in the WNCAA now. Support the league. Support women's basketball. Then the WNBA would have broke through a while back. Stop dissing the league and other players and we wouldn't have this conversation.

Huge difference between outlier production and outlier play style. Nobody in women's basketball past or present plays like caitlin.

She is an absolutely incredible talent, electrifying to watch and deserves all of the accolades and praise she's gotten, on the basis of merit, not race.

I remember people trying to argue "she's not good enough for the olympic team", only for her to look like an MVP caliber player a month after the olympics.

[hermes]

i think all sports leagues have gone through their era where race dominated the conversation, its just the wnba's turn right now
its not pleasant when you're in it but it will pass (hopefully)

[Mephariel]

Double post.

[Mephariel]

I agree with you that Clark's skillset makes her an outlier. I would also argue that Wilson's skillset makes her an outlier. She was literally breaking records in the WNBA. Hidalgo and Watkins are breaking records in the WNCAA now. Support the league. Support women's basketball. Then the WNBA would have broke through a while back. Stop dissing the league and other players and we wouldn't have this conversation.

Huge difference between outlier production and outlier play style. Nobody in women's basketball past or present plays like caitlin.

She is an absolutely incredible talent, electrifying to watch and deserves all of the accolades and praise she's gotten, on the basis of merit, not race.

I remember people trying to argue "she's not good enough for the olympic team", only for her to look like an MVP caliber player a month after the olympics.

If it is about merit, then production matters right?

And this is the problem with a lot of Clark fans. She wasn't good enough for the Olympic team at the time of selection. At the very least, there was a legit argument she wasn't good enough or why others should be ahead of her. What happens months afterwards has no relevancy. Instead of supporting the players on the Olympics team, Clark fans threw a hissy fit for months. That kind of toxicity is why discussion around Clark can't focus on just basketball. You want it to be about merit, not race, then set the example.

[MrBigShot]

Huge difference between outlier production and outlier play style. Nobody in women's basketball past or present plays like caitlin.

She is an absolutely incredible talent, electrifying to watch and deserves all of the accolades and praise she's gotten, on the basis of merit, not race.

I remember people trying to argue "she's not good enough for the olympic team", only for her to look like an MVP caliber player a month after the olympics.

If it is about merit, then production matters right?

And this is the problem with a lot of Clark fans. She wasn't good enough for the Olympic team at the time of selection. At the very least, there was a legit argument she wasn't good enough or why others should be ahead of her. What happens months afterwards has no relevancy. Instead of supporting the players on the Olympics team, Clark fans threw a hissy fit for months. That kind of toxicity is why discussion around Clark can't focus on just basketball. You want it to be about merit, not race, then set the example.

Yes, which is why A'ja wilson won MVP unanimously. But production alone isn't enough to win an award centered on impact on sports

[Mephariel]

If it is about merit, then production matters right?

And this is the problem with a lot of Clark fans. She wasn't good enough for the Olympic team at the time of selection. At the very least, there was a legit argument she wasn't good enough or why others should be ahead of her. What happens months afterwards has no relevancy. Instead of supporting the players on the Olympics team, Clark fans threw a hissy fit for months. That kind of toxicity is why discussion around Clark can't focus on just basketball. You want it to be about merit, not race, then set the example.

Yes, which is why A'ja wilson won MVP unanimously. But production alone isn't enough to win an award centered on impact on sports

Are you talking about Time's Athlete of the Year? Because you and I have no disagreement. Clark is that person. No question about it.

[jc23]

Huge difference between outlier production and outlier play style. Nobody in women's basketball past or present plays like caitlin.

She is an absolutely incredible talent, electrifying to watch and deserves all of the accolades and praise she's gotten, on the basis of merit, not race.

I remember people trying to argue "she's not good enough for the olympic team", only for her to look like an MVP caliber player a month after the olympics.

If it is about merit, then production matters right?

And this is the problem with a lot of Clark fans. She wasn't good enough for the Olympic team at the time of selection. At the very least, there was a legit argument she wasn't good enough or why others should be ahead of her. What happens months afterwards has no relevancy. Instead of supporting the players on the Olympics team, Clark fans threw a hissy fit for months. That kind of toxicity is why discussion around Clark can't focus on just basketball. You want it to be about merit, not race, then set the example.

Caitlin earned her popularity in college, had she been on the team it would have been a ratings boost; fact. So it was the right basketball move and the wrong business decision. As a fan i was all about it since she looked so much more fresh after the rest.

If this season Caitlin turned out to be a Anthony Bennett type bust then her fans would have gone away. So it is about merit and it cant just be about race or the Kelsey Plum's and Elena Della Donne's of the world would have been selling out NBA arenas.

In his rookie year Yao got the second most all star votes; i believe in merit first but its also a fan driven game. you cant overlook the business part of the sport.