I get it you want eyes on the Product and Clark is their ticket... But

[cdubbz]

Read on Twitter

'We want Caitlin' chants at an away game.

[prophet_of_rage]

I said before the season that Clark would be a top-10 player in the league by the end of her rookie season, and that might have been too optimistic, but I don't think it will be far off. Watch her start going off after this long break she's getting. It's coming.

Yeah, I think WNBA rookies have it harder than NBA rookies. Because their professional season basically starts right after their college season.

Yep and they also have an uphill climb to make the roster unlike NBA 1st rounders who are locks to make the 15 man roster. It's rough being a W rookie.

There aren't enough spots for them to beat out seasoned players.

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

[CIN-C-STAR]

Read on Twitter

'We want Caitlin' chants at an away game.

The horror.
She better condemn this overt act of racism in the strongest terms possible, or else she's ok w her name being used to promote white nationalism, or something

[cdubbz]

Read on Twitter

'We want Caitlin' chants at an away game.

The horror.
She better condemn this overt act of racism in the strongest terms possible, or else she's ok w her name being used to promote white nationalism, or something

cool.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Lol

[zimpy27]

The WNBA haven't decided to hype Clark, Clark decided to hype the WNBA by joining them.

Look at the google search or terms "WNBA" and "Indiana Fever".

WNBA has been searched 4+ times more since Clark joined than any high point in its history.



Indiana Fever trend is comical, they have been been searched 40+ times more since Clark joined than any high point in their history.

[madskillz8]

The WNBA haven't decided to hype Clark, Clark decided to hype the WNBA by joining them.

WNBA has been searched 4+ times more since Clark joined than any high point in its history.

No waaay, look at the graph! WNBA was already on the rise, it has nothing to with CC!! Y'all are weird, maaannn.

[zimpy27]

The WNBA haven't decided to hype Clark, Clark decided to hype the WNBA by joining them.

WNBA has been searched 4+ times more since Clark joined than any high point in its history.

No waaay, look at the graph! WNBA was already on the rise, it has nothing to with CC!! Y'all are weird, maaannn.

Those Note lines on the charts are where google improved algorithm so you see some bumps because of that.

WNBA was pretty stagnated from 2004 to 2015.
2016 to 2021 had a 6 year run of an uptrend at a growth rate of 5% a year. Seems to have followed from 2022 to 2023. So at 5% a year (assuming consistent upward growth - big assumption based on past) they would have got to where Clark got them now in about 30 years.

[DOT]

The WNBA has been on an upward trend for years

Caitlin Clark supercharged it

Both things can be true. I know some people have trouble with the concept of two things at once, but that's the case

The weird part is trying to use Clark to ridicule the WNBA rather than be excited the sport is taking off in popularity.

[madskillz8]

Well, first of all, reading comprehension is an essential skill for anyone: even in my sarcastic post, I said "WNBA was already on the rise, it has nothing to with CC!!", to mock some people who tries hard to associate CC effect with the trend, but by no means I claimed there is no trend. Accusing people with "having trouble with the concept of two things at once" is weak if you ask me especially when you are the one who failed to understand the posts you're replying.

WNBA might be (or not) a good product for most basketball fans and that's perfectly fine. Zimpy27's argument has nothing to do with that or it is not like he's trying to ridicule WNBA. IMHO his post is just directed toward to some people (I call them online WNBA gatekeepers) who were getting unnecessarily and weirdly defensive by rejecting the reality and magnitude of her impact. I also remember reading the same argument numerous times to downplay CC effect in this very WNBA board. I know some people can easily lie and say "nooo, I didn't mean that", but it happened, we were here... Anyone who spends a day in this board can easily know what does that mean when someone says "well, WNBA was already on the rise before CC".

It also seems like Zimpy27 is not even rejecting the gradual albeit small improvement over time since he shared the graph, I am wrong? On the other hand, my age is gradually increasing as well, but if I die tomorrow in a traffic accident, I hope no one approaches my parents to tell "well, he was already gradually getting old and would eventually be dead in 20-30 years, so the accident just supercharged it". These are separate things with no direct interactions, and associating my accident with my eventual death because of the gradual increase in my age does not make much more sense than trying to associate the gradual increase in WNBA popularity with CC effect.

And, yes there was a gradual increase, but it is not like CC has benefited from this increase, instead she indirectly contributed to that. Last year people like Diana Taurasi and few other players were trying to generate views from her popularity by talking about CC and deliberately saying stupid things, "no I won't draft her at #1", and genuinely there were more people who were discussing how she would fare in WNBA than people who are watching WNBA games regularly. Yeah, it doesn't sound great, but it is what it is. The reality is she's giving a reason for the people who love basketball like me and many others in realgm to watch WNBA again. And we are all enjoying so far- except Diana Taurasi (and Storm coach & players maybe?).

[Ice Man]

Sunday's Indiana-Seattle matchup was the 5th most watched WNBA game over the past 20 years.

[MrDollarBills]

Sunday's Indiana-Seattle matchup was the 5th most watched WNBA game over the past 20 years.

Here's a tidbit you'll love, I just read that 18 games this season have crossed the 1M viewer mark.

16 of those games were Fever games.

[theforumblue]

it's gonna be interesting to see how people react when CC gets suspended for the technical fouls. people will have paid extra for those tickets, maybe even travel.

[MrDollarBills]

it's gonna be interesting to see how people react when CC gets suspended for the technical fouls. people will have paid extra for those tickets, maybe even travel.

If CC gets suspended for having too many techs, that's on her.

She's calmed down a lot since the start of the season but she still has been chirping at the refs a lot.

[MrDollarBills]

The WNBA has been on an upward trend for years

Caitlin Clark supercharged it

Both things can be true. I know some people have trouble with the concept of two things at once, but that's the case

The weird part is trying to use Clark to ridicule the WNBA rather than be excited the sport is taking off in popularity.

Right.

That's how you know the weirdos who use Clark to degrade the league and her fellow players don't even care about her at all. She's just a prop for their culture war weirdo crap.

Same dudes trashing the league will be the first to tell her to get back in the kitchen the moment that she says something that they don't like.

[zimpy27]

I wasn't trying to argue anything.

I'm just posting up clear evidence that popularity in WNBA is being driven by Clark joining them. Nothing clearer than the 4000% increase in interest in the Fever compared to their history, if you look at other teams there is maybe only a slight bump in interest broadly (except for Sky - Reese has an impact too) and if you dive in you see big spikes in interest in other WNBA teams on nights they play Clark.


The peaks in Seattle Strom search are when the Storm played Fever over past 3 months.


Also, I am not disparaging the WNBA. Just saying this boost from Clark is unprecedented. A 400% increase in interest in the WNBA since Clark arrived. It's not just USA, you look in Australia or Singapore or Canada, WNBA getting the same 400% bump.

[Ice Man]

it's gonna be interesting to see how people react when CC gets suspended for the technical fouls. people will have paid extra for those tickets, maybe even travel.

That will be a good test for her self-control. I'm betting that she can stay on the right side of the line and avoid the suspension. If not, that's a bit of concern about her on-court personality.

[Boardbreaker]

Clark’s last tech should have been rescinded tbh

[theforumblue]

it's gonna be interesting to see how people react when CC gets suspended for the technical fouls. people will have paid extra for those tickets, maybe even travel.

That will be a good test for her self-control. I'm betting that she can stay on the right side of the line and avoid the suspension. If not, that's a bit of concern about her on-court personality.

i'm leaning towards her not making it. it seems like being able to control her "outbursts" seem to be one of the biggest issues she has to tackle. her teammates seem to be getting better at intervening though so we'll see.

but those dumb refs will probably T her up even if she's just yelling at her chair or something.

[MrDollarBills]

it's gonna be interesting to see how people react when CC gets suspended for the technical fouls. people will have paid extra for those tickets, maybe even travel.

That will be a good test for her self-control. I'm betting that she can stay on the right side of the line and avoid the suspension. If not, that's a bit of concern about her on-court personality.

i'm leaning towards her not making it. it seems like being able to control her "outbursts" seem to be one of the biggest issues she has to tackle. her teammates seem to be getting better at intervening though so we'll see.

but those dumb refs will probably T her up even if she's just yelling at her chair or something.

To be fair though, CC chirps at the refs a lot.

Like I keep saying...she talks a lot out there. Sh*t talking the opposing teams, going off on the refs...she's gotta chill at least with the refs