WNBA & The Caitlin Clark Effect

Hoof the ball

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San Antonio, Texas.
Signed to Nike, amongst other endorsement deals, with Nike giving her $28 million. She's got the ability and the sheer marketability to make the WNBA mainstream, commercially attractive and a self-sufficient independent franchise not relying on subsidisation.

Ticket Sales
- Sold out 100% of season ticket inventory
- Total attendance up 264% from last year
- 186,000 fans have attended a Fever home game this year
- 230,000 fans have attended a Fever road game this year

Merch and Concession Sales
- 1,193% increase in jersey sales from last year
- Team store transactions are up 700% from last year
- Broke the franchise single-game merchandise sales-record four times this year
- Hot dog sales up 300% this year
- 2,286 gallons of draft beer have been sold in 2024 (+740%)

Online Metrics
- Over 800 million views in the last four months alone
- Added 1.3 million followers since April 15th
- The Fever have more social media views than any other WNBA, NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB team over the last 4+ months

TV Viewership and Corporate Partnerships
- 38 games on national television (Most in WNBA)
- 225% increase in partnerships
- Largest number of team sponsors in the WNBA

If you're wondering who I'm talking about, here's a video.

 
The established WNBA players hating her because all of the above is blowing my mind.
Especially since she's nothing but respectful to them.
 
What’s she doing with all the hot dogs?
 
reelworld said:
The established WNBA players hating her because all of the above is blowing my mind.
Especially since she's nothing but respectful to them.
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I have a friend of a friend in the WNBA so have on occasion watched some highlights and stuff on Youtube, not really a fan or a regular viewer by any stretch of the imagination though. Recently the Youtube algorithm has been wild with all the videos on WNBA women giving Clark a hard time in a variety of different manners. Guess no publicity is bad publicity and all that but some of the established players, and the commentators, do not come across well at all when it comes to this. What's the reason for the hate?
 
And the rest of the players hate her because they are jealous morons
 
whitbyviking said:
I have a friend of a friend in the WNBA so have on occasion watched some highlights and stuff on Youtube, not really a fan or a regular viewer by any stretch of the imagination though. Recently the Youtube algorithm has been wild with all the videos on WNBA women giving Clark a hard time in a variety of different manners. Guess no publicity is bad publicity and all that but some of the established players, and the commentators, do not come across well at all when it comes to this. What's the reason for the hate?
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The league has had a reputation from ex-players for years for being a very self-hating sport. Constant stories of bullying throughout the league, to unprofessionalism in media responsibilities. These things aren't unique to Caitlin, however,she's moving the needle for the league in her rookie season, making veterans eat their words by shattering records (and we're only halfway through). It's clear that she's going to be Serena Williams big, and that's going to come with huge endorsements, and other players clearly don't like that. It's not easy to see someone walk into the league, immediately make bank, and perform like a star from the get-go whilst playing for (last year) the worst team in the league.

Rising tides lifts all boats. It's not abundantly clear to a lot of players that Clark's star rising and the sport becoming mainstream offers them considerably larger contracts. If they knew what was best for them, they'd promote her ascendancy as much as humanly possible instead of trying to sabotage it.

 
Not even a basketball fan in general, but the algorithm has popped wnba videos onto my feeds, specifically youtube. It's interesting seeing the oppos just looking to intimidate her at every opportunity.
 
The best thing about her is she has style. She just looks natural at everything she does, it looks right. Even a bit of Rafer Alston to her first step. Let's hope she is the start of a new generation of WNBA players. The grassroots level had always been there for female bball (at least all my life).
 
Abizzz said:
The best thing about her is she has style. She just looks natural at everything she does, it looks right. Even a bit of Rafer Alston to her first step. Let's hope she is the start of a new generation of WNBA players. The grassroots level had always been there for female bball (at least all my life).
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She do pretty much everything. Her basketball IQ is lightyears ahead. She's making passes that her own teammates don't even anticipate. It's quite something; and they're in the playoffs contention whilst being the Ipswich of the league with a coach who is the Sean Dyche equivalent.
 
The WNBA is a joke of a league. The entertainment from watching most of them is from how terrible they can be.

Caitlin’s fundamentals are way ahead of everyone else.
 
Hoof the ball said:
She do pretty much everything. Her basketball IQ is lightyears ahead. She's making passes that her own teammates don't even anticipate. It's quite something; and they're in the playoffs contention whilst being the Ipswich of the league with a coach who is the Sean Dyche equivalent.
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Her assist average is like 8 per game and should be at least in double digits if her teammates didn't fumbles her passes.
 
reelworld said:
Her assist average is like 8 per game and should be at least in double digits if her teammates didn't fumbles her passes.
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Caitlin is unreal, but how is her team doing? Are they winning a lot?
 
Hoof the ball said:
Just a gentle nudge and coming together in the back then?

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It is a foul and probably flagrant, just about. A total nothing story. You seem like a big fan boy, but this thread probably has more success if you concentrate more on her nice plays, instead of whining about officials.
 
massi83 said:
It is a foul and probably flagrant, just about. A total nothing story. You seem like a big fan boy, but this thread probably has more success if you concentrate more on her nice plays, instead of whining about officials.
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It's the first and only post on the entire thread mentioning anything about referees. Forming a narrative about me "concentrating" on "whining about officials" based on a singular post, when all the above posts are everything but, isn't very honest, is it?

I'm not a big fan boy. It's just that no one shoots the shit about WNBA on here, save for the one cat who posts on the WNBA thread, and Caitlin is a hot topic. It ain't that deep, chief.
 
Hoof the ball said:
It's the first and only post on the entire thread mentioning anything about referees. Forming a narrative about me "concentrating" on "whining about officials" based on a singular post, when all the above posts are everything but, isn't very honest, is it?

I'm not a big fan boy. It's just that no one shoots the shit about WNBA on here, save for the one cat who posts on the WNBA thread, and Caitlin is a hot topic. It ain't that deep, chief.
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You are actually right, it was about the league and other players before. Had wrong recollection, my bad. But, I do still think people, myself included, would be more interested in her plays/clips than noise about league/other players/officials.
 
massi83 said:
You are actually right, it was about the league and other players before. Had wrong recollection, my bad. But, I do still think people, myself included, would be more interested in her plays/clips than noise about league/other players/officials.
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For sure, man! I'll try to drop some clips.
 
Hoof the ball said:
Highlights of her tonight.



Kelsey Mitchell is the other big scorer from the Fever.

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Looks like the Fever are flying now they’re all on the same wavelength. Wonder if that result and performance pretty much settled the ROTY conversation
 
elmo said:
Only delusional racists thinks there’s a ROTY conversation. Clarke has sealed it long ago.
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A few weeks ago ESPN had Clark 4th behind Reece, Jackson and Cardoso.

I assume so people would talk about it.
 
The rivalry still exists only because media wants something to write about. Lots of videos around about how abysmal Angel's shooting in and how many rebounds she gets off her own shots because she has to make so many attempts.

All Star, All WNBA and RotY all to Caitlin.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
The rivalry still exists only because media wants something to write about. Lots of videos around about how abysmal Angel's shooting in and how many rebounds she gets off her own shots because she has to make so many attempts.

All Star, All WNBA and RotY all to Caitlin.
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There are plenty of comments on social media from people who buy into the narrative that angel is better though, unless they’re all shills or bots, which is unlikely.
 
whitbyviking said:
There are plenty of comments on social media from people who buy into the narrative that angel is better though, unless they’re all shills or bots, which is unlikely.
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Yeah, even within Sky, an argument could be made than Cardoso (and Carter) have been as influential as Reese.

Too bad Brink was injured, else it might have been an even better season.
 
whitbyviking said:
There are plenty of comments on social media from people who buy into the narrative that angel is better though, unless they’re all shills or bots, which is unlikely.
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Most of them are African American women, it’s why I’m saying they’re delusional and racists. They literally can’t comprehend a white girl being better than their star girl.

Like 1/3 of Angel’s Reese’s rebounds are off her own misses. She’s the Andre Drummond of the WNBA. It’s basically comparing Steph versus Drummond. Nobody in their right mind would link Drummond as the better player, it’s not even close :lol:
 
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