You may be the only person in the country who heard that a year ago.
.Sorry, but thats hardly believable unless you NEVER watched womans basketball before a couple of years ago. Without question they all benefited from a stacked roster, BUT for a basketball fan to say they'd never heard of DT, or Stewert, or Sue Bird, or Maya Moore or Rebbecca Lobo before just makes you sound silly, or resentful or hell I don't know what. I mean come on...Honestly I think Clark would be VERY disappointed in fans saying they'd never heard of the women who came before her. In a way that disrespects her and the game as well....If nobody here really ever heard of the Uconn greats, or Candace Parker, or Jackie Styles, or Lynette Woodard, then what would anything that Clark did the last 4 years really mean. Somebody, (great players) set the bar for her, and she knows that.
There's plenty of people out there who don't follow sports and think it's foolish how much people care about it, and will condescendingly mock and make light of anything deemed significant by someone who follows a sport.
Sadly the WNBA probably benefits from the shitty treatment of Clark. The drama and venom seems to be attracting the eyeballs and asses in seats they need and want.
Sure, BUT we're on the Iowa sports website, (so saying they don't follow sports is a little weird) and many want to act like either there were not great players before Clark or they aren't worthy of being recognized. Simply put that does a disservice to them, to Clark, and to the game. I may not like Taurasi but its not like she just made up a bunch of shit about Clark, like Swoopes did. (95 % of what she said was pretty spot on with a bit of zealous embelishment). Still she WAS a great player, as were so many others, and they deserve that respect as well as they gave Clark, and the others something to shoot for.There's plenty of people out there who don't follow sports and think it's foolish how much people care about it, and will condescendingly mock and make light of anything deemed significant by someone who follows a sport.
Do they deserve to be strapped to the next Space X rocket and sent into orbit? Absolutely.
But they do exist and we should acknowledge that...................................and remove them from the face of the planet.
Most people haven't followed women's basketball. That's why Caitlin is such a big deal and why the ratings have increased so much.
She forgot to add the truth of, "Because we're going to beat the crap out of her and defend her the way nobody else has been defended."
I'm an avid sports fan but I wouldn't have been able to pick any of the players you named out of a line up (except Lobo with that unforgettable equine face) . It's not that I had never heard the names, but never saw them play. The US Women's soccer team gets much more exposure and I couldnt pick out one other than Megan Rapinoe, and one is Mrs Dansby Swanson. They are great athletes for sure, but it's just rarely captured my attention. It would if one of the superstars of the game was a former Iowa player.
One major part of her statement wasn’t true…”we all went through it”…no, they didn’t and no one has. Nobody has had the spotlight on them like Clark, nobody has had the hatred aimed at them like Clark, nobody has had defenses focusing as much on them as Clark. The continued discussion of veterans trying to claim they went through it as well is laughable. Most of them would have quit after the first week if they went through what Caitlin is going through.
Obviously then your NOT an avid womens sports fan. I never followed the womens game much before the last 3 or 4 years either, but I certainly know who all those women are. My point being that basically we have a bunch of guys saying that because THEY didn't follow the sport previous to Clark that these other women basically didn't exist, nor do they deserve to be recognized as such because these fans weren't fans previously. Oh, okay that makes sense now......And people wonder just what the issue is with the former players and how they feel about the "new fans"....hmmm
Nah, the issue with these women in the WNBA is that they're misdirecting their hatred.
I'm not an avid Women's Sports fan, and for the most part, neither is anyone else. That's why they generally play to small crowds , and on TV networks like ION. I didn't even know that I had Ion until a few weeks ago. CC's emergence as a top level sports superstar brought me to the table. If she had played at Notre Dame I probably wouldn't be paying attention now, but as an Iowa alum, it's hard to ignore. I'm not alone. The level of non Iowa fans that she has gathered is truly amazing.
I agree with everything you said. Just saying that NOW that people are watching its only fair to acknowledge those who came before the new blood, and there were many great players.....
It is true! I watched college hoops for a few years, mainly Iowa games but no WNBA. I have heard of Rebecca Lobo and a little bit about Sue Bird. Before that Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller.
This. She also put up a goose-egg a couple times last season. It’s a joke she’s in over CC.
The problem is the WNBA players feel it’s not enough for Clark fans to watch the WNBA just to watch Clark, they have to appreciate the players that built the foundation of the league. So if I open a restaurant and the food is terrible for 30 years and nobody goes there to eat, then I hire a really good chef and people flock to it, those new customers need to appreciate the chefs that were there before or they shouldn’t be allowed to eat there? The players that came before Clark did nothing to generate interest in the game, that’s not building a foundation, that’s living off money you didn’t earn. Instead of new fans appreciating the past players, the past players need to appreciate the new fans. I don’t have to pass a history test to start watching any other sport.
When Tiger first came on the scene, there was some grumbling from other golfers about this same thing. Then, the golfers realized that Tiger was the main reason for the large increases in tournament prize money, and the grumbling subsided signficantly.
Okay, I understand what your trying to say, BUT I just don't think its that simple. 1) There were some truly great players before, just not enough of them to fill out the leagues rosters, but they had to get the league off the ground, but made the league top heavy. This led to a poor product overall. 2). The womens game high school and college has grown tremendously in the last 10-15 years. Way more higher level talent going to way more colleges, so all the stars aren't going to just a handful of schools. Largely due to the growth of AAU for girls. You'll see this growth going forward. 3) Clark came into focus at EXACTLY the right time. After covid, and in the midst of the explosion of social media. She has a unique personality and fire that has drawn in this new fan base.
I NEVER watched WNBA before Clark started playing in it. I never heard of Taurisi (sp) before either. I never watched Iowa WB before CC. But its interesting watching a Iowan become a national sensation. Sorry if I disrespected woman before her. Sheeesh.
Everybody doesn't need to act offended. Its pretty simple when you step back for a minute. All I'm saying, (and most of what current and past players have said) is their league or womens college basketball didn't start in the last 4 years. A lot of great players built something which CC , Brink, Angel and others are NOW getting to capitalize on financially. Without the past there is NO now for these players. Certainly any reasonable person should be able to step back and acknowledge that and understand there were in fact pioneers who built that foundation. Clark certainly understands that and yet many of her fans want to be dismissive.
It is that simple because bottom line, it shouldn’t matter why these new fans are tuning in, just that they are. And I understand the resentment toward Clark’s attention, but not toward the fans that are tuning in to watch her play. I’ve known the name of stars from the past all the way back to Nancy Lieberman, but I didn’t have any interest in watching them. I watch now to watch Clark, that doesn’t mean I don’t know about the stars that came before her, it just means I don’t care about them….and it shouldn’t matter. They should just appreciate that they’re getting new fans.
Because they didn’t build a foundation, they participated in a welfare league. The foundation is being built now. Ten years from now, if the women are making boatloads more money and the league is able to carry itself financially, that will be because of what’s happening now, not what Diana Taurasi did 30 years before. A failing business that loses hundreds of millions of dollars is not a foundation.
Oh bullshit. I have heard some of those names but no one, including women, gave a shit. It was of passing interest at best for the vast majority of people.
No ones being smug or superior. I'm simply stating I can understand why some of the older and past players are having an issue. I'm sorry that you can't understand that.....
I'm sorry, but thats totally ridiculous, to say they didn't build a foundation. So your statement is that a foundation is only built when things are going really well for a company? Absolutely untrue. Do you think that when you start its always going to just take off? Whatever the lack of success previously, if they hadn't started the WNBA 20 some years ago, then there would be NO pro league for CC to play in now, so your statement is ridiculous. Why doesn't someone ask Clark what she thinks about that statement. As for the welfare league, I've got news for you its STILL a welfare league supported mainly by the NBA and their going to LOSE 50 million$ this year alone. (which was reported just this week). So at this point you'd have to say they have no foundation now either, correct?
A business built on a crummy foundation was not built on a foundation (much like a house). They’re going to lose $50 million this year because they know they’re going to sign a $240 million dollar tv contract next year based on Caitlin Clark, so yes, this year is the foundation. And what other company lost hundreds of millions of dollars over their first 27 years? I get that some companies start off slow, but not that slow.
Every sport seems to have a line of demarcation where it went from a really solid product with great players to a next level national obsession. Baseball was very popular, but exploded with the coming of Babe Ruth and his Bronx Bomber cohorts. NFL was the real deal for sure but my opinion is that it became must see TV when Joe Namath beat the Colts. Mens basketball had lots of Superstars, but took off for me with Magic vs Bird in NCAA tournament and then when they extended that rivalry into the NBA. The WNBA isn't even close to the popularity of those sports, but it's popularity has risen with the entry of this year's rookies especially CC. No disrespect to Honus Wagner, Johnny Unitas or Bill Russell intended
It’s easy to understand….. jealousy. It’s not a good look for them.
I remember the 6 on 6. The Mrs was a pretty good "guard" . Thats what they called the defensive players. At 6' tall she had 23 rebounds in one game, a school record that still stands some 48 years later. She graduated in 76. Mediapolis was in her conference so they played that powerhouse a couple of times a year. It was a totally different game for sure and the girls tourney was a huge deal.
