I focus on football, I’m an expert on football. But as a sports fan, I have opinions on many different sports. In this edition of Mike On Sports, I can’t help but chime in on the new attention for the WNBA.
I’ll be real here and not pull punches as usual. The overall interest in the WNBA as a basketball product is about the same as it’s always been — lukewarm. The interest in the WNBA as it pertains to drama, politics, and race relations is at an all-time high. Why? Caitlin Clark became arguably the best college basketball player in history and she’s white and now she’s a pro. That’s it.
Should race matter? Nope. But we are far from the evolved society we claim and hope to be and it matters more than ever with everyone on social media allowed an opinion. Clark is a very good basketball player. But she’s not doing reverse dunks or smashing rims and she’s not even splashing from deep as much as at Iowa. But she’s good and she’s been getting a ton of attention for years now. And with attention comes jealousy. The WNBA players likely don’t care if she’s white, black or green. But they do care that she’s the darling of the WNBA before she’s paid her dues. And that’s normal. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant faced scrutiny from their peers as high school players jumping to the NBA as instant superstars. And they took their fair share of hard fouls. This is normal, jealousy is normal.
What’s not normal is how Clark has become a social and political target from fans and media members alike. If she were black, we likely wouldn’t have all this sociology talk. We wouldn’t have outrage amongst her fans and so much scrutiny from her haters. And vice versa. It’s just the way it is in society and it’s not changing anytime soon. Ignoring it, avoiding it or denying it doesn’t do any good. It is what it is.
Personally I don’t find the WNBA product on the floor any more appealing. Attendance and ratings are up so maybe I’m the only one who feels this way. But I know that I can’t help but find myself reading and watching talking heads opine about the treatment of the new girl and the apparent disregard for those who came before her. It’s like Alabama vs Auburn or Ohio State vs Michigan, even if you don’t have a dog in the fight you pay attention. But those rivalries are storied and will always involve bitter hatred. What happens when all of this newfound societal interest in the WNBA cools down and the product is still average? We will be back to not caring about the WNBA again and that’s okay.
I’m like many others. I didn’t care about women’s professional basketball before Clark and I won’t care once she’s settled in. And that’s my personal choice. But I do care about all the pettiness, gossip, and drama. And if that’s what the league needs to become popular, then let’s have more of it. I’m on board.
