let's take a second right now to have a moment of silence for Washington Mystics owner Shelley Johnson who suggested that the WNBA as a whole should have been on the cover of Time Magazine instead of just Caitlyn Clark who graced the cover last week which is probably some of the stupidest I've ever heard what do you get when you mix record-breaking stats a Time Magazine cover and a whole lot of good old-fashioned jealousy apparently that's the byproduct of the Caitlyn Clark effect that's what but here's the real question why is everyone so mad about her
success from Matt Barnes to Jim Jackson some big names in basketball are speaking out and oh boy they did not hold back they're not just defending Clark they're exposing a bigger issue in women's sports want to know what's really going on let's break it down Caitlyn has brought a ton of new opportunity a ton of new eyeballs and more money to the sport so instead of downplaying the magnitude of who she is and what she's brought enjoy the ride and take advantage of the ride you know what should have been a slam dunk for women's
basketball Caitlyn Clark nabbing times athlete of the year but guess what some folks aren't exactly popping champagne over this one man first of all she's she's unbelievable Talent you know the things that she's doing is is great in her own right she's creating her own space her own uh she's doing her own thing picture this a young star breaking records left and right lands a major magazine cover sounds like a win right well not everyone's cheering instead of Applause Clark's getting some serious side eye from unexpected places what gives while the NBA's ratings continue to
drop over 30% uh as they try to figure out who is going to feel the shoes of LeBron James Kevin Durant and Steph Curry the WNBA has a Golden Goose sitting in their league and has done it's gotten better but has done everything to kind of discredit the momentum and eyeballs she's brought to this game let's break down the backlash because it's juicier than a gossip mag at the hair salon we're talking Whispers of favoritism cries of too soon and even some salty comments from within the WNBA itself Sheila Johnson co-owner of the Washington Mystics
isn't pulling any punches she's out here saying the whole WNBA should have gotten the nod not just Clark talk about reigning on someone's parade it's just the structure of the way media plays out race I'm going to be very honest um I feel really bad because I've seen so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never got the recognition that they should have and I think right now it is time for that to happen Johnson's not stopping there she's worried this Clark Spotlight might create some bad blood in the league when
you just keep singling out one player it creates hard feelings she says ouch can you imagine winning a huge award and having people say it should have gone to everyone else she's saying there are so many players of color that are equally as talented and they never got the recognition they should have this drama it's not just Twitter noise over 31% of the mystics entire attendance was in two games that Caitlyn team played against the miss ICS the Sparks the aces the mystics the dream all moved games when fever came in town because of the
attention that Caitlyn and her teammates have drawn that last season fever's jersey sales was up 1,000% and attendance was up 250% and they had the largest attendance on average per year just over 177,000 per game it's got real consequences for Clark and the league Johnson's worried about division and jealousy creeping into the wnb a she's even Nam dropping other talents like Angel Reese saying it's not just Caitlyn Clark it's Reese we have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized so why are people so pressed about Clark's success turns out it's complicated but don't
worry we're just getting started speaking of getting started let's hear what some big names in basketball have to say about all this because trust me they're not holding back are you ready to hear more let me say this Caitlin Clark deserves all the flowers I think she took a lot ofit and and a lot of Skeptics coming into the league as she should like she had to really prove herself uh missed out on the Olympic opportunity um and really had a lot of Hard Knocks early on in the season where she was getting beat up
and her teammates were just watching her uh I think the camaraderie in that locker room grew and that team started playing together and made the playoffs made a nice little run and uh had a solid season all right picture this Matt Barnes NBA champ and no stranger to stirring the pot steps up to the mic and boy does he have some things to say about Caitlyn Clark in the WNBA you know it's going to be good when Barnes starts talking right let's be real Barnes isn't just defending Clark he's putting the whole WNBA on blast
but why well he's not mincing words he's out here saying Clark deserves all the flowers that's right all of them and he's not stopping there Barnes is calling out the Skeptics who've been side eying Clark since day1 so Kaitlin is someone who has if you look at it done everything you're supposed to do and has been criticized along the every step of the way again she's damned if she does and she's damned if she doesn't but here's where it gets juicy Barnes drops some reality the WNBA has a Golden Goose sitting in their league and
has done everything to kind of discredit the momentum and eyeballs she has brought to this game let's break down barnes's argument he's not just throwing shade for the sake of it he's talking numbers impact and yeah a little bit of that good old Locker room Real Talk Barnes is pointing out how Clark has been bringing in the fans and the buzz but instead of capitalizing on that he thinks the league is dropping the ball big time I think they're doing a amazing job with like you said telling the story and the players are actually doing
their thing when they get there too you know like you mentioned these couple of players um but Caitlyn being the one that we speaking about right now she is kicking everybody's ass really you know what's really got Barnes fired up the CRI ISM from Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson remember how she said the whole WNBA should have gotten times athlete of the year not just Clark well Barnes isn't having it when you see the people say it's not just her there's other players and again we're not disr we understand the the the the the the
depth of talent in that league but when you also see the numbers that back up the fact that Caitlyn has a huge effect Caitlyn Clark is responsible for nearly 27% of the wnba's league-wide activity in 2024 including attendance one in six tickets sold at the WNBA Arena attributed to Caitlyn Clark TV viewership was up 30 three TV viewership was up 300% with Caitlyn Clark but here's the thing Barnes isn't just throwing shade he's got some pretty solid points about marketing fan engagement and the future of the game he's asking the real questions why isn't the
league doing more to promote its biggest star why are they letting this opportunity slip through their fingers if we had to compare uh from what we've seen from the NBA it would in her effect probably some similar to Larry Bird now you might be thinking okay but isn't this just another dude talking about women's sports fair but stick with me because Barnes is dropping truth left and right he's not just talking as an ex-player he's talking as someone who knows the business of sports Barnes is suggesting that the WNBA might be sabotaging its own success
story ouch that's not just a hot take that's a five alarm fire he's basically saying the league is shooting itself in the foot by not fully embracing Clark and the attention she's bringing congratulations congratulations you know they continue to push the game to the next level you know and you you look at where the NBA was and and now where the NBA is at now and although everyone doesn't agree with the style of play these guys have taken it to the next level as far as the business of basketball and I think that's what Caitlyn
will affect is the business of women's basketball man so we wish them the best uh definitely excited to see uh these upcoming seasons and these women continue to do their thing but guess what Barnes isn't the only one speaking up this conversation is just getting started and there are more voices joining the chorus so let's see what another NBA veteran has to say about this whole situation because if barnes's comments are anything to go by this debate is far from over all right folks let's talk about Jim Jackson This former NBA star turned analyst isn't
just throwing his hat in the ring he's tossing the whole wardrobe and he's got some spicy takes on Caitlyn Clark in the WNBA congratulations to Caitlyn Clark for being named time athlete of the year I get why people are so upset I'm a basketball player and a basketball fan there's a lot of Dynamics and a lot of layers to this thing when it deals with Caitlyn Clark but I will say that this is just my opinion it's certain people I don't care if you're black white um Spanish um from Europe it it doesn't matter that
have it that draw something okay and Caitlyn is one of those so what's Jackson's angle it's all about the green baby no not the court we're talking cold hard cash or as the suits like to call it marketability Jackson's not beating around the bush here he's saying Clark's got that special something that X Factor that makes people sit up and take notice people keep in mind this is a business when Nike signs a athlete okay they want to get an Roi return on their investment how do they do that because that athlete resonates you understand
that Caitlin Clark her jerseys her apparel if she has an apparel deal her shoes will sell here's where things get interesting Jackson's comparing Clark to some WNBA Legends and his conclusion well let's just say it's ruffling some feathers he's out here saying Clark's more marketable than Asia Wilson the current MVP of the WNBA Court you heard that right according toson Caitlyn may not beat Asia Wilson is the best player in the WNBA but Caitlyn is more marketable because people tend to resonate I don't care black white whatever it may be now there is a race
component to it it always will be in some regards okay but the player itself the person what she was able to do how she resonated how she Drew eyes to the TV let's dive into Jackson's analysis he's not just pulling this out of thin air he's talking star power fan engagement and and yeah that tricky topic of race and Sports Marketing Jackson's not shy about it either I don't agree with the mystics owner saying that the whole WNBA should have been named that because that's not true the whole WNBA benefited this year from the viewership
increase you know who else Jackson thinks has that special sauce Steph Curry yep he's drawing parallels between Clark and the NBA's Golden Boy Jackson points out it's a reason why Steph Curry who may not be the best player okay in the NBA but he draws differently he draws different he can be marketed differently than other players some players who may be considered better maybe Kevin Durant but the market to market Kevin Durant is a lot different than marketing Steph Curry people resonate with Steph Curry a lot more than akd it's not just about being the
best on the court it's about connecting with fans off it but wait there's more Jackson isn't just talking about Clark he's painting a bigger picture of the wnba's future he's pointing out how the whole league got a boost from Clark's College performance that's right we're talking Rising Tides lifting all boats here there's some other players that get deals men and women okay that have signature shoes that despite how good they are as a player straight as they are as a player they don't move product because it doesn't resonate it doesn't translate now you might be
wondering is this really about basketball anymore good question because according to Jackson it's not just about how you play the game it's about how you sell it and Clark she's selling like hot cakes what translates is when K and Clark came into the league and 30,000 jerseys were already ordered that the Indiana Fever the season tickets were already sold out when you go on the road to the mystics and they have to change the venue in which is going to be played to play you know where the Wizards play okay on the a couple of
occasions it's only certain people that do that whether you like Caitlyn or not are you interested if you're a ball player there certain aspects you got to love about Caitlyn's game so we've heard from the guys but what about the league itself what's the WNBA saying about all this well that's where things get really interesting so we've heard from NBA vets fans and critics about Caitlyn Clark's time athlete of the Year award but you know who's been suspiciously quiet the WNBA itself weird right you know well enough that in 1984 when Michael Jordan came into
the NBA the ratings in the NBA were not great Chicago stadium was you know a third full he's getting the Lion Share of the attention the games are now getting put all of his games are on TV and he just was a polarizing figure and Tiger Woods was like that when he went to the PGA as well he changed the total economics of golf the same way Michael Jordan changed the financial economics of the NBA let's set the scene you've got this rookie Phenom breaking records bringing in fans by the truckload and making headlines left
and right sounds like a marketer's dream doesn't it you'd think the WNBA would be shouting from the rooftops popping champagne and planning parades but instead crickets what's going on behind those closed doors at wnb HQ here's where it gets messy some folks are saying the silence speaks volumes are we looking at jealousy politics or something else entirely remember what Sheila Johnson co-owner of the Washington Mystics said she thinks singling out Clark creates hard feelings in the league yikes is that why the WNBA keeping M the idea of some players being jealous yes that that probably
exists to me yeah jealous sure I mean would you be jealous to somebody that got $28 million a shoe deal or whatever the deal is before you step fo in the pros now you might be thinking maybe they're just letting Clark have her moment nice thought but here's the thing the League's silence might be doing more harm than good and it's not just Clark feeling the chill this whole situation is shining a spotlight on some deeper issues in the WNBA so where does this leave us and more importantly where does it leave Caitlyn Clark the
wnba's got a golden opportunity here but they're treating it like a hot potato Johnson's worried about creating hard feelings but isn't that exactly what's happening with this silent treatment I think with that there's going to be a human nature sometimes to have some Envy or some jealousy and it's happening now to Caitlyn Clark so what's the game plan WNBA are they going to step up and embrace their new star or keep playing this weird game of hide-and seek because right now it feels like they're letting a slam dunk opportunity turn into an airball and in
the fast-paced World of Sports that's a mistake they might not be able to afford here's the deal folks Caitlyn Clark's nod isn't just about one player shining it's a whole new ball game for women's basketball we're talking gamechanging stuff here she's doing rating wise for the WNBA what Michael Jordan LeBron James Steph Curry have been doing for the NBA so what's next on the court sure keep your eyes on Clark as she gears up for the 2025 WNBA season but the real action that's happening in the league offices how the WNBA plays this could make
or break the future of the game experts are saying we're at a Tipping Point Clark's success could open doors for other players but will they ride the rising tide remember sometimes the biggest plays happen when the clock's not running the wnba's next move that's the real buzzer beater we're all waiting for what do you think the w ba will do next let us know in the comments like subscribe and turn on all notifications so you never miss out click the video on the screen and we will see you in the next one
