Caitlin Clark goes woke

[sober_teacher]

I agree. People weren’t ignoring the WNBA because they don’t want to watch Black lesbians. They were ignoring the WNBA because they don’t like to watch boring basketball.

When fans started complaining that Clark was receiving inordinately rough fouls, a bunch of league veterans fired back that they weren’t singling her out. That’s just the way we play in the W. This ain’t college ball. We’re grown-ass women and if you drive into the paint you can expect to get hacked.

Fair enough. But maybe that’s why no one watched your league for 25 years. Nobody wants to watch that style of basketball. People like to watch basketball that has rhythm and flow to it. They like to watch 3-pointers and fast breaks with pinpoint passing. And that’s what Clark delivers every single night.

Here’s the thing tho. - I don’t know that I agree with the premise that the WNBA was a boring product. There have been ALOT of great basketball players that have been on the league and excelled, only most of us never heard of them outside the Olympics or in March. I think that was at least partly what Clark was attempting to say.

There’s probably a whole host of reasons why the WNBA has struggled for relevance since its inception - relative youth and accessibility being at the top of the list imo.

 

[DooBi]

I have no problem whatsoever with what she said. She's correct.

I just wish if they were going to talk about her racist fans in the article they would have at least mentioned the people who hate her because of racism as well.

 

[KFsdisciple]

Just for starters...Her parents have a freaking gym in their house. She could afford to play on the best AAU travel teams and attend a private high school with good coaches. I believe that's the "privilege" she's referring to. A poor black girl doesn't have those same advantages.

I didn't read through all 6 pages of this BS thread, but I'd also like to add that OP is a moron.

Having those advantages helped I'm sure, but only if she had the talent, drive, grit, etc to take advantage of them. Lots of people grow up with advantages but few are exceptional like she is.

Most of the most successful people, especially athletes don't come from privilege because it takes away the drive and determination.

 

[abby97]

Just for starters...Her parents have a freaking gym in their house. She could afford to play on the best AAU travel teams and attend a private high school with good coaches. I believe that's the "privilege" she's referring to. A poor black girl doesn't have those same advantages.

I didn't read through all 6 pages of this BS thread, but I'd also like to add that OP is a moron.

You might be surprised by this, but most white girls don't have those advantages either, so why do you feel the need to bring race into this?

 

[hawkeyez]

You might be surprised by this, but most white girls don't have those advantages either, so why do you feel the need to bring race into this?

This entire thread is about race, numbnuts.

 

[2D_]

You’re contradicting yourself here - in one sentence you state that the WNBA product was terrible, and then in the next sentence concede that there are several players people had started watching that were good.

Not at all. Historically, the overall product of the W has been bad. Only recently have players like Aja Wilson, Sabrina, and so on have made the sport more watchable. It's thanks to Caitlin's popularity that allowed the spotlight on these players. The thing is, even if they're good players, most of them still have a really boring way of playing basketball, which results in a bad product. It's Caitlin that has the It factor you mentioned. She's always a blast to watch, which is why people are tuning in.

But the league is over 20 years old, and people didn't watch not because they hate black women, but because the game was boring and not fun to watch.

 

[KFsdisciple]

Here’s the thing tho. - I don’t know that I agree with the premise that the WNBA was a boring product. There have been ALOT of great basketball players that have been on the league and excelled, only most of us never heard of them outside the Olympics or in March. I think that was at least partly what Clark was attempting to say.

There’s probably a whole host of reasons why the WNBA has struggled for relevance since its inception - relative youth and accessibility being at the top of the list imo.

Until recently people really just didn't care about the WNBA. That's the honest truth. College basketball was dominated for the entirety of the W's existence by two programs... UCONN and Tennessee so there wasn't much national appeal to the sport, now I think the college game is growing, UCONN, Tennessee, LSU, Baylor, Stanford, Iowa, etc. There are more talented players and they are more spread out.

For a long time, outside of a chosen few, there wasn't that many skilled players playing the game, the game itself has evolved and improved, the skill level has improved and it's a better overall product.

 

[ihhawk]

 

[sober_teacher]

Until recently people really just didn't care about the WNBA. That's the honest truth. College basketball was dominated for the entirety of the W's existence by two programs... UCONN and Tennessee so there wasn't much national appeal to the sport, now I think the college game is growing, UCONN, Tennessee, LSU, Baylor, Stanford, Iowa, etc. There are more talented players and they are more spread out.

For a long time, outside of a chosen few, there wasn't that many skilled players playing the game, the game itself has evolved and improved, the skill level has improved and it's a better overall product.

I mostly agree. To me the talent level has been better, longer than most casual fans are aware of. The league did a poor job marketing itself and making its product more available.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Just for starters...Her parents have a freaking gym in their house. She could afford to play on the best AAU travel teams and attend a private high school with good coaches. I believe that's the "privilege" she's referring to. A poor black girl doesn't have those same advantages.

I would bet that every single black WNBA player had access to gyms, played on an AAU team and attended a college of their choice for free.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

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That's actually a funny read.

 

[sober_teacher]

I would bet that every single black WNBA player had access to gyms, played on an AAU team and attended a college of their choice for free.

That’s not what he said tho.

 

[DooBi]

That's actually a funny read.

You tricked me. That was really dumb.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Sad she had to go down that road, up to now she has steered clear of making controversial comments, Not sure just how bad this is going to hurt her marketing wise but she needs to just tune the noise out and muzzle it concerning comments and bending the knee.

 

[pablow]

I would bet that every single black WNBA player had access to gyms, played on an AAU team and attended a college of their choice for free.

Basketball is a poor sport to single out for the white privilege argument. Maybe golf, tennis, snow sking, etc. In fact, growing up in the inner city playing against the best basketball players in the world was (and is) a great advantage. The playgrounds and YMCAs produced produced most of the game's legends.

 

[KFsdisciple]

I mostly agree. To me the talent level has been better, longer than most casual fans are aware of. The league did a poor job marketing itself and making its product more available.

If the product was good people would pay attention. Bass Masters wouldn't have been on for years if they weren't catching any fish.

It's taken time, but the athletes are better than they were 25 years ago. They are collectively more skilled than they were 25 years ago,

 

[sober_teacher]

If the product was good people would pay attention. Bass Masters wouldn't have been on for years if they weren't catching any fish.

It's taken time, but the athletes are better than they were 25 years ago. They are collectively more skilled than they were 25 years ago,

People have to know where the product is before they can watch. I watched indiana fever games last year on i believe 11 different channels last year, half of which id never tuned into before. Its also only been in the last few years that womens basketball started finding more air time as well.

While the product hasnt always been great for the WNBA, its better than people were aware of either.

 

[ft254]

Is there a more misused term out there than “snowflake”?

If the shoe fits, wear it.

The Snowflake knows but doesn't care.

 

[KFsdisciple]

People have to know where the product is before they can watch. I watched indiana fever games last year on i believe 11 different channels last year, half of which id never tuned into before. Its also only been in the last few years that womens basketball started finding more air time as well.

While the product hasnt always been great for the WNBA, its better than people were aware of either.

That parts also true, I didn't know what an Ion was before watching the Fever games. I mean ESPN will air spelling bees and cheerleading if it gets eyeballs or they think it will.

It's a truly unique phenomenon at this point. I wear hawkeye stuff a lot down here in Florida... whenever a non-Iowa sports fan wants to chat with me, they ALWAYS bring up CC now. Used to be Hayden would come up or Dan Gable (surprisingly) and when they played, Sanders and Clark... but now people associate the Tigerhawk with CC.

 

[sober_teacher]

That parts also true, I didn't know what an Ion was before watching the Fever games. I mean ESPN will air spelling bees and cheerleading if it gets eyeballs or they think it will.

It's a truly unique phenomenon at this point. I wear hawkeye stuff a lot down here in Florida... whenever a non-Iowa sports fan wants to chat with me, they ALWAYS bring up CC now. Used to be Hayden would come up or Dan Gable (surprisingly) and when they played, Sanders and Clark... but now people associate the Tigerhawk with CC.

I remember the fairly creative marketing campaign “we got next” when they launched the WNBA, but after that it sometimes felt like the WNBA leadership and NBA overlords didn’t believe the WNBA was worth investing in.

I don’t ever expect it to rival the NFL, NBA, etc, but I do feel it can be a profitable league that embraces its niche.

 

[naturalbornhawk]

https://time.com/7200904/athlete-of-the-year-2024-caitlin-clark/

"Clark is cognizant of the racial underpinnings of her stardom. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” says Clark. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

So disappointed she bent the knee to the woke mob and a league that hates everything about her after being apolitical up to this point.

Yes, very sad.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

This entire thread is about race, numbnuts.

Care to address his point?

 

[abby97]

This entire thread is about race, numbnuts.

No, your entire life is about race. You and all leftists find a way to weave race into everything. The left, the real racists.

 

[KFsdisciple]

I remember the fairly creative marketing campaign “we got next” when they launched the WNBA, but after that it sometimes felt like the WNBA leadership and NBA overlords didn’t believe the WNBA was worth investing in.

I don’t ever expect it to rival the NFL, NBA, etc, but I do feel it can be a profitable league that embraces its niche.

It might only be my perception, but the parts of the W have always outshined the sum. What makes the NFL different is people in Oklahoma City will tune in and watch the Falcons and the Saints because it's the NFL. People showed up and tuned into CC's Fever games, and that did have a trickledown effect on the rest of the league, but no other team was moving games to bigger arenas, and the ticket sales and tv ratings for non-fever games even in the playoffs show that people were tuned in for CC, not the W... YET.

I'm still not a big fan of the W... but since Iowa has a smattering of players on what 3 teams now... I might be inclined to watch more of it.

 

[torbee]

You tricked me. That was really dumb.

Look who enjoyed it, lol. One of the biggest dipshits on the board.

 

[WDSMHAWK]

Hopefully Caitlin can have a less controversial second season now that she is running off the part of her "fanbase" that gives her a bad name.

 

[TJ8869]

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It took them 8 years to do it but the Bee finally made me laugh.

 

[kceasthawk]

I will. Nothing worse than White Guilt. I’m tired of this apology for how you born and what you accomplish. Fun fact: More Poor Whites than any race. More cops killed whitey than all other taxes combined. Been advantages for every race but whites since Affirmative action. Fvck off with this narrative and take. You sorry for being white that’s a you issue don’t clump all whites in. I apologize for nothing I haven’t done myself. Weak and soft. Fvck off CC

Please point out where exactly CC22 said she was sorry she was born white. Maybe don't stack so much hyperbole on to what she actually said.......

 

[Joes Place]

THIS! ^

I mean, it's pretty obvious that Caitlin would have less of a gravitational pull if she were Black. It's okay to both acknowledge that AND her incredible talent (Pete Maravich's record...hello). The amount of stardom added by her being white is up for debate, but both the people who claim that she only getting the attention she is because she's white AND the people who claim her being white has zero effect on the level of her stardom are both full of crap.

I find it additionally amusing that all the idiots that came at me like drunk monkeys for my comments on her "Olympic team snub" have now been stated, pretty much, by her directly. She didn't WANT to be a "face of the sport" sitting on the bench; she WANTED to be on the team if she had clearly EARNED a spot, and she realized that her early WNBA play was not up to her standards or Olympics standards.

Them drunken monkeys have been pretty quiet on this topic...

 

[Joes Place]

Good Lord. She never said all her success was because she was white. Is it possible she's just saying that her mega stardom could in some part be attributed to the majority of new fans sharing her skin color? CC is a transformative star, (of that there is no doubt), but do you really not think brands like Nike and Gatorade weren't thrilled to use CC as an in for marketing a wider sports audience, mainly dominated by black athletes? In EVERY interview she's done , the one thing she's consistently states is "I earned this". How is that her discounting all her hard work? Maybe shes realized that with the huge platform she now holds, comes an opportunity to bring about change in this ongoing conflict.

And while she says "I've earned this", she likewise graciously acknowledges her WNBA idols growing up, and how she stands where she is on the backs of much of their work and effort. And that they've been mostly ignored by the media and fans.

WNBA has now hit it's "Magic/Bird" moment that blew the sport up w/ media and fans.
Now people are seeing, firsthand, how good players like Clark, A'ja Wilson, Arrike etc etc are.

Caitlin deserves much of the credit for bringing their exploits to the masses; she recognizes that they are great players regardless of how "media popular" they've become irrespective of anything she has done...

 

[kceasthawk]

I can relate to your last two sentences, as I grew up in a relatively poor family. I think that’s what fueled my drive to attain the American dream.

Like many folks of our generation......

 

[Joes Place]

Admitting women, black folks, others have had different experiences doesn’t make you woke, or a leftist. It only makes you aware.

That's literally what "Woke" means.

GOP lawyers in DeSantis' No Woke law were asked to define it, in court.
Their definition was along the lines of:

1. Recognizing that there are systematic injustices that exist in American society
2. Identifying that there is a need to address them

(you can Google that, if you want)

If that is what Woke formally means (along with what you posted above), sign me up.
Unfortunately, MAGA Conservatives assign it to anything they don't like, and imply it is "bad" to be Woke.

 

[Joes Place]

The real threat to our country is the universities

LOLWUT?

 

[kceasthawk]

Having those advantages helped I'm sure, but only if she had the talent, drive, grit, etc to take advantage of them. Lots of people grow up with advantages but few are exceptional like she is.

Most of the most successful people, especially athletes don't come from privilege because it takes away the drive and determination.

At what point did she say she wasn't talented. In EVERY statement she's made since the records and being the #1 pick she said, "I earned this". She knows very well what she did to get where she is.

 

[hawkedoff]

Look at you and your iq of 5. Wow.

Ok desi

 

[cmhawks99]

That's literally what "Woke" means.

GOP lawyers in DeSantis' No Woke law were asked to define it, in court.
Their definition was along the lines of:

1. Recognizing that there are systematic injustices that exist in American society
2. Identifying that there is a need to address them

(you can Google that, if you want)

If that is what Woke formally means (along with what you posted above), sign me up.
Unfortunately, MAGA Conservatives assign it to anything they don't like, and imply it is "bad" to be Woke.

Extreme over simplification…. and as long as the universities continue to crack down on those who want to support Jewish protesters, but lift up Palestinian protesters, then yes the universities are a problem. Pretty simple stuff.

 

[Joes Place]

Fify.

Also it's pretty clear that she doesn't mind losing that portion of her fan base.

She understands that that "portion of her fan base" is just the "online" faction, that doesn't buy stuff or spend money at games.
Nike, etc seem to "get this", too.

 

[Joes Place]

Extreme over simplification

Take that up with DeSantis' legal team, who had to 'splain it to the judge.

 

[hawkedoff]

Just for starters...Her parents have a freaking gym in their house. She could afford to play on the best AAU travel teams and attend a private high school with good coaches. I believe that's the "privilege" she's referring to. A poor black girl doesn't have those same advantages.

I didn't read through all 6 pages of this BS thread, but I'd also like to add that OP is a moron.

Wait until you hear all about how Aja grew up.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Bs. Tiger woods, Michael Jordan and many others are universally exonerated. Our own fans admire Caleb johnson and our 2 great linebacker above the rest of our football team.

I don't think MJ was ever formally accused of any crimes?