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

[MrDollarBills]

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.

Oh, my comment wasn't directed towards you zimpy. I should have been clearer. My comment was directed towards some, for lack of a better words, ass holes with an agenda who come on here trying to use CC as a wedge against the rest of the league.

You're just pointing out the facts.

Both things are true: The WNBA was on an upwards trend the last few years, and the rise of CC this year has made the league explode in an unprecedented manner.

Caitlin Clark is a super star and has put things into overdrive for the league. This is a great thing and we're just getting started.

[rmontro]

Caitlin Clark is a super star and has put things into overdrive for the league. This is a great thing and we're just getting started.

She's one of those strange, almost unexplainable, pop culture phenomenons that come along once in a while, and a pretty good basketball player to boot.

[madskillz8]

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.

Oh, my comment wasn't directed towards you zimpy. I should have been clearer. My comment was directed towards some, for lack of a better words, ass holes with an agenda who come on here trying to use CC as a wedge against the rest of the league.

You're just pointing out the facts.

Both things are true: The WNBA was on an upwards trend the last few years, and the rise of CC this year has made the league explode in an unprecedented manner.

Caitlin Clark is a super star and has put things into overdrive for the league. This is a great thing and we're just getting started.

Who are they? And why I have to read your foul-mouthed posts every other day in a basketball forum? At that point you are the only poster with an agenda about "proudly blackest queerest league" in your own words. I am trying to read and learn about WNBA but always came up with such nonsense. No one here, other than you, knows or cares about who is lesbian or who is straight. If you hate Fox TV audience, go tell your disgusting words to them. Not here.

Enough is enough, you and posters like you are making WNBA board is unbearable by trying to make it political at every chance.

General moderator note here to tone things down in this discussion. This back and forth is starting to cross a line. If either of you don't like how a user is posting, report them. This topic will be locked if things can't be civil. Ignore each other if the emotions are running too high.
- ccs

[MrDollarBills]

Caitlin Clark is a super star and has put things into overdrive for the league. This is a great thing and we're just getting started.

She's one of those strange, almost unexplainable, pop culture phenomenons that come along once in a while, and a pretty good basketball player to boot.

Pretty good is underselling it. She is one of the best passers that I've ever seen play in over 30+ years of watching hoops.

[cupcakesnake]

Caitlin Clark is like a perfect storm. A lot of factors go into having that storm happen, but there's no doubt she is the storm (sorry Seattle but you're not the Storm now after CC and the Fever punked you in that second half).

WNBA popularity had been on a steady rise since the pandemic, when people had the time and desire to absorb a new sports league into their routine. Even more importantly, NCAAW basketball had been on a even bigger rise, and lots of us didn't notice that until it was beating out men's games. Caitlin Clark happened to be a (likely) generational star riding two opposing waves about to crash into each other. The result is this massive spike. Midwest girl getting drafted to a midwest team. Perfect place, perfect time, and also perfect player.

We'll have better perspective on this in a few years. We might still be in the early stages of something. We'll see how the new influx of Caitlin Clark fans continue to adapt to the league (come for the Caitlin, stay for the A'ja, AT, and Stewie?). We'll see how her career continues to evolve. I'm also interested to see how the NCAAW is followed next year. Will there be a series of "next big things" starting with Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins? Or will the rise of that league plateau?

[jc23]

She is having the same type impact that Magic and Bird had. It does seem like the NBA of the early 80's and WNBA of today hold some similarities. Nobody discredits the greatness of guys like Kareem and Jerry West, nor the great Celtics dynasty, but the truth is it wasnt until Magic and Bird that the NBA really started to take off.

Reese has helped with the popularity as well, great player and very good on the socials. Just have to acknowledge the one constant variable with these record breaking tv numbers; its still primarily due to one player. On a personal note my knowledge of the wnba has increased dramatically because of it. Still dont know much but i know a ton more then i did a year ago.

[rmontro]

She is one of the best passers that I've ever seen play in over 30+ years of watching hoops.

I agree with you, but she takes most of her criticism for having too many turnovers. The ten she had in her first game was too many admittedly, but it's down to 5.5 now I believe, and if she can get it down to 5, I'd say that's acceptable all things considered.

[MrDollarBills]

She is one of the best passers that I've ever seen play in over 30+ years of watching hoops.

I agree with you, but she takes most of her criticism for having too many turnovers. The ten she had in her first game was too many admittedly, but it's down to 5.5 now I believe, and if she can get it down to 5, I'd say that's acceptable all things considered.

I think she can cut down at least two TOs per game as she continues to develop.

When she's generating like 85% of her team's offense with her passing and scoring on top of rebounding at an absurd rate for a guard, the turnovers are moot in my opinion, but you still wanna see that TO/AST ratio cleaned up

[zimpy27]

Caitlin Clark is like a perfect storm. A lot of factors go into having that storm happen, but there's no doubt she is the storm (sorry Seattle but you're not the Storm now after CC and the Fever punked you in that second half).

WNBA popularity had been on a steady rise since the pandemic, when people had the time and desire to absorb a new sports league into their routine. Even more importantly, NCAAW basketball had been on a even bigger rise, and lots of us didn't notice that until it was beating out men's games. Caitlin Clark happened to be a (likely) generational star riding two opposing waves about to crash into each other. The result is this massive spike. Midwest girl getting drafted to a midwest team. Perfect place, perfect time, and also perfect player.

We'll have better perspective on this in a few years. We might still be in the early stages of something. We'll see how the new influx of Caitlin Clark fans continue to adapt to the league (come for the Caitlin, stay for the A'ja, AT, and Stewie?). We'll see how her career continues to evolve. I'm also interested to see how the NCAAW is followed next year. Will there be a series of "next big things" starting with Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins? Or will the rise of that league plateau?

Reese is playing a role here too. Chicago Sky interest is up since her arrival too. So agreed it's the talent coming in and potential rivalry narrative.

It's not just CC is generational, A'ja is generational. It's the play style that is so exciting. I think it's the perfect playstyle for WNBA to be exciting and carve out a lot of interest. I'm thinking the influence in the next generation is going to be the Nash and Suns effect on Curry/Trae etc.

It's the style of play that is so capturing of the audience IMO. Chino Hills and the Ball brothers is another example of how style can ramp up interest in any league.

[rmontro]

I think she can cut down at least two TOs per game as she continues to develop.

When she's generating like 85% of her team's offense with her passing and scoring on top of rebounding at an absurd rate for a guard, the turnovers are moot in my opinion, but you still wanna see that TO/AST ratio cleaned up

I don't think she'll ever get it down to two turnovers per game, not with how aggressively she plays. I believe her college TOs per game was 4.6. It's baked into the cookie, as they say.

[ellobo]

I don't think she'll ever get it down to two turnovers per game, not with how aggressively she plays. I believe her college TOs per game was 4.6. It's baked into the cookie, as they say.

Cut down TO two, no. Reduce her average BY two, very possible.

She has at least two turnovers per game where I'm thinking, "Why?" even before she releases the pass. These are not high risk/high reward gambles, bad deliveries, getting caught in traffic and having nowhere to go with the ball, or even fumbles by teammates. Those, you just live with. But she tries a few per game that just aren't there, and even if completed wouldn't lead to anything, but she throws them anyway. If she cuts out two of those bad decisions per game, her average would start with a 3 or a 4 instead of a 5.

[Ice Man]

She has at least two turnovers per game where I'm thinking, "Why?" even before she releases the pass.

Yep. But as rmontro wrote, those miscues do seem to be baked into her nature. She made 5.2 TOs per 36 minutes as a college freshman and 4.8 per 36 as a college senior. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu -- who also had a ton of college assists -- was at 2.7 TOs per 36 as a freshman, and again at 2.7 as a senior.

My point being that TO patterns are very difficult to break. What players do, they tend to do.

[hermes]

unless you want caitlin to change her play style, you're just going to have to accept about 5 turnovers a game

[zimpy27]

I wonder what her play style impact is on team turnovers is. Like does she TO more so her teammates don't? Or is it TOs that add to the total overall?

They're quite different things.

YoY data shows the team turnovers are down even though their pace is up.

[MrDollarBills]

I don't think she'll ever get it down to two turnovers per game, not with how aggressively she plays. I believe her college TOs per game was 4.6. It's baked into the cookie, as they say.

3.5 per game seems like a good goal.

The aggression is good but I feel like there are going to be some learning experiences in store for her as well because of it.

[MrDollarBills]

I don't think she'll ever get it down to two turnovers per game, not with how aggressively she plays. I believe her college TOs per game was 4.6. It's baked into the cookie, as they say.

Cut down TO two, no. Reduce her average BY two, very possible.

She has at least two turnovers per game where I'm thinking, "Why?" even before she releases the pass. These are not high risk/high reward gambles, bad deliveries, getting caught in traffic and having nowhere to go with the ball, or even fumbles by teammates. Those, you just live with. But she tries a few per game that just aren't there, and even if completed wouldn't lead to anything, but she throws them anyway. If she cuts out two of those bad decisions per game, her average would start with a 3 or a 4 instead of a 5.

Agreed with all of this.

I chalk it up to CC still maturing as a player. 5 years from now God willing, 27 year old CC probably doesn't try to make something out of nothing on those WTF pass attempts and opts for the simple basketball play.

[rmontro]

I wonder what her play style impact is on team turnovers is. Like does she TO more so her teammates don't? Or is it TOs that add to the total overall?

Interesting question. She does have the ball a lot.

[hermes]

I wonder what her play style impact is on team turnovers is. Like does she TO more so her teammates don't? Or is it TOs that add to the total overall?

They're quite different things.

YoY data shows the team turnovers are down even though their pace is up.

five turnovers a game isn't a big deal at all if the rest of the team doesn't turn the ball over

[zimpy27]

I wonder what her play style impact is on team turnovers is. Like does she TO more so her teammates don't? Or is it TOs that add to the total overall?

They're quite different things.

YoY data shows the team turnovers are down even though their pace is up.

five turnovers a game isn't a big deal at all if the rest of the team doesn't turn the ball over

Well you can see the impact.

Wheeler, Boston, Smith, Wallace, Hull, Mitchell were putting up 21.5 TO per 100 possessions last season. This season they are putting up 16 TO per 100 possessions.

[KembaWalker]

CC is the best player in the league, obviously. The entire sport including her own team was trying to take her down and she overcame them whilst single-handedly increasing the visibility and profitability of the sport exponentially. Her treatment to this point has been truly bizarre and worthy of deep study by society and some intense self reflection by others. Including a couple people on this board (they know who they are and will probably identify themselves here shortly)

But she’ll just continue to thrive and succeed because she’s that much greater than her peers, so I’m not sweating it too much