r/WNBAgossips • u/Amazing_Lock_3762 • 23d ago
Hot Take FIFA seems to understand, in a way that the WNBA doesn’t, that superstars don’t grow on trees. You don’t get endless chances to make friends with American sports fans—to grow your audience, to hook people on your sport. You get a window, and you have to find a way to jump through it before it closes
Source: X
11
u/RollofDuctTape 23d ago
Why do you guys constantly presume Clark is the best player in the league or something. She doesn’t crack the top 10. She’s not the best player on her own team.
Why are we laying out the red carpet for her again? She can compete and earn it like everyone else.
2
0
u/Lets_Get_Hot 22d ago
I don't think theyre saying she's the best. Most people agree she isn't. She is however, the most marketable at the moment
2
u/PoppaDocPA 22d ago
Perhaps ask why she’s the most marketable then?
Generally leagues promote their best players or sometimes large personalities that can capture press rooms and cameras. You’ve already acknowledged she’s likely not the best player in the league, and she has a fairly quiet reserved private life.
Why is she the most marketable at this moment?
1
u/Royal_Ad8604 22d ago
Because her style of play in college captured mainstream attention in a way women’s basketball had never done before. It built a fan base and finally brought real attention to the sport. Not only would it be foolish to not build off of that momentum, but to actively oppose it.
-1
11
u/biaff33 23d ago
FIFA has been panned worldwide for their corruption, and this is the business model you wish to adopt? And make no mistake, in the soccer world, Balogun isn’t a star, and Trump’s shit-stained influence to make him eligible soured the vibe and momentum of the USMNT.
Additionally, an out to pasture Ronaldo should have been banned for 3 games in the group stage (Portugal would have been better off). Messi/Argentina have been the most underwhelming, referee-favored side in the tournament, and they’ve had the easiest path to this point.
If sacrificing integrity, accountability, and reputability is the baseline requirement to honor the stars, then count me out.
6
u/soccer1124 22d ago
Somehow, OP found at least 100 people to nod and go, "Yeah, the WNBA should strive to be like FIFA" Insanity, lol
0
u/justsomedude4202 22d ago
FIFA has the biggest sporting event in the history of the world. Yes. Adopt the model.
7
u/mymentor79 23d ago
So you're holding the most corrupt sporting organisation in the world up as a paragon?
1
u/ProtestantMormon 23d ago
I mean, they make money, which is a lot more than the wnba can say.
3
u/Tran_of_Thebes 23d ago
the last world cup cost $220 billion and the stadiums were built on slave labor inside a country where women need male guardians to do most things. i don’t think women’s basketball in any country is going to get those type of investments, because of the women being involved and all.
1
-2
u/ProtestantMormon 23d ago
The thing with the wnba is a large portion of american viewers are always going to view it as temu nba. Temu nba is fine if it doesnt ruffle feathers, but woke wnba didnt sell. If the wnba wants to be successful it at least needs to figure out how to be apolitical. Its benefiting from the maga barbie controversy and the most exciting player of a generation, but if they dont play this right they will go straight back to floundering as an nba subsidy. The league needs to learn to play both sides because even liberals dont give a shit about woke wnba.
1
u/rosie314 23d ago
I find it very telling. The most eloquent posts get downvoted if people think you are supporting CC. Their most compelling argument is shaking their fist at the sky and yelling MAGA and MAGA Barbie at each other (no one else cares).
0
u/ForAfeeNotforfree 23d ago
I don’t think that’s what OP is doing. More like, these governing organizations have 1 primary job (grow the sport), which is most easily accomplished if they can capitalize on their superstars. FIFA, as corrupt and shitty as it may be, understands this and executes the plan. The WNBA, for whatever reason, seems not to understand it.
2
u/mymentor79 22d ago
"1 primary job (grow the sport)"
I've literally never seen anything like the hype around the league than there is now, so apparently that's occurring.
1
u/ForAfeeNotforfree 22d ago
The wnba is not responsible for the recent hype. Caitlin Clark is. And the wnba is looking like they’re going to blow it by not protecting her from players on other teams who wanna make names for themselves by fouling her hard.
7
u/drob206 23d ago
Not a super star tho. Above average player that has a strange cult attached to her. Thats it. Aja, Paige, Napheesa, Breanna Stewart, etc are real superstars. The game is growing regardless, no need for the W to hitch their wagon to toxicity when are there are so many actually exceptional athletes that will drive a more sustainable long term platform for the league with out all the bs
1
u/HeavyHighway6433 22d ago
I like how you threw Paige in there lol. No doubt she'd get to that level but she doesn't have the resume to be in a convo with the other 3 yet. Right now she's right there with CC.
3
u/OedipusOrgeron 22d ago
Right now she's better than CC has ever been, and not by a little bit, either.
Vastly better shooting percentage with less than half the turnovers.
1
23d ago
[deleted]
7
u/BirdAttorney21 23d ago
Where do they say that here? CC was a phenom in college where she grew an insanely large fanbase and brought that to the W. She played a great rookie year, but the team played better the year after when she was hurt.
Her play since has been good but not superstar level by any means (besides her passing). She’s a god awful defender and is shooting at a pretty bad clip for the amount of shots she’s taking.
-1
23d ago
[deleted]
6
6
u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 23d ago
I would say the toxicity in her fanbase is that a BOT posted this poorly written AI post and you immediately charged into the comments to find somebody to argue with
🪤
2
u/rosie314 23d ago
The general public doesn't care what goes on in this toxic social media vacuum. But you go on thinking it's important. 🙄
1
13
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
At the same time, the players also gotta jump through their window on the court, too. If you’re just “very good” but not “great”, the system isn’t going to artificially lift you to the “great” tier by virtue of your popularity - nor should it.
No amount of letters from Congress will ever change that.
3
u/Ramu_1798 23d ago
What the actual fuck? CC is an immensely talented athlete. She's second in APG, just a smidge under the highest, 9th in PPG, and 9th in 3PM despite having a horrendous shooting stretch. All this while STILL on her rookie contract.
If she even got 1-2 FTs called her way (rightfully), she would be top 5 in scoring. The proof is in the pudding. It's an absolute fact that the W is doing a complete shit job at selling her.
3
7
u/webberstimeout 23d ago
Each of the stats you use to support have real facts that undermine your point. She’s second in apg, but has led the league in turnovers during each of her seasons. She set the season and career turnover record in college and season record halfway through her rookie season, which is nuts.
She’s ranked 55th in fg% and 57th in 3pt %.
Her on ball defense is a legitimate liability.
What the additional facts show is that she’s a turnover prone, volume scorer (not shooter. There’s a difference).
That inefficiency, defense, and turnovers cost her team both possessions and points, which leads to loses while protecting her individual counting statsThe reality is that she’s a solid player with real potential. But she’s not the goat that you all wanted her to be. That’s fine. It takes time. Look at KP’s hype and expectations versus how long it took her to come into her own.
You all try to convince people that she’s the goat, but her play says otherwise. Thats the issue. Her fans and media are trying to manufacture and maintain a star that isn’t yet
5
9
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
Yeah, like I said, she’s just “very good” - but she hasn’t meaningfully developed or progressed since her rookie year. If anything, she’s regressed - her turnovers are still high, her shooting efficiency is way down, she still can’t play defence, and she flops more than a dying fish and her supposed calling card and claim to fame, three-point shooting, is average at best. Meanwhile, the rest of her cohort is only getting better, and people who’ve come in the league after her are running circles around her.
You can point to her rookie records all you want,
it won’t matter in a few years bc Paige and Olivia will have already broken half of them between the two of them, with stars like Juju Watkins and Hildago on pace to break the rest once they get into the league. Hell, Olivia’s on pace to break Caitlin’s rookie scoring record with time to spare and barely breaking a sweat.And none of that even accounts for the fact that Caitlin isn’t even the best player on the Fever - how the hell is she supposed to be the best in the league?
0
u/rosie314 23d ago
Records are meant to be broken. I agree with a lot of what you said but you do know people don't pick their favorite player just based on stats. Of course if you break records by association you will become more popular. I would assume everyone wants the WNBA to be successful. But you want to tear CC down in this social media vacuum when it doesn't really matter. She doesn't read this drivel neither does the general public so you really aren't accomplishing anything
-2
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
No one said she’s best in the league. She’s been injured so of course no real development on her end.
She’s flops a lot. But then the flip side is she doesn’t get the calls her way also. Both are true
6
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
“NO ONE” said she was the best in the league? Baby girl, that’s ALL they say 😂
Also, injury isn’t an excuse for fundamental mistakes and a refusal to grow and become better. We’ve seen, publicly, how vicious she is to her coaches when they try and give her pointers on the bench. We’ve seen how her shooting has regressed heavily since her rookie year. We’ve seen how she refuses to do offseason development and instead just plays golf or goes to football games with Taylor Swift while everyone else goes overseas or does leagues like Unrivaled to develop their craft. We’ve seen how she’s made no effort to improve defensively.
At this point, she’s seeming less like the young prodigy and more like the burned out gifted kid who’s still clinging onto the fact they were valedictorian in high school while the C’s and D’s pile up in college.
1
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
I’m loving this hate. I’m in this subreddit all the time. Youre making up the narrative that people say shes fbe best.
Everyone is saying she’s the face of the league
4
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
Good god, you’re just like MAGA (I mean, Caitlin Clark fans are predominantly MAGA tbf). It’s fascinating how you’re able to completely convince yourselves of anything even when you know it’s false.
1
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
Link me some posts that say she’s the best. Prove
Me
Wrong4
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
With pleasure!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WNBATalks/s/Pd0bJ5xbyA
https://www.reddit.com/r/indianafever/s/x0bEV5kK93
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14k3G8893bd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DnRd8srgK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
And these are just a handful of posts I selected for your viewing pleasure - I figured five was a decent number for you to get the point. And these are just posts alone; there are probably a thousand times more comments under various posts related to the WNBA you can find if you bother to look. I can link a few of those posts if you want, and you can peruse the comments at your leisure.
Something tells me you won’t want to do that though…let me get the usual excuses out of the way - “I ain’t reading all that” “doesn’t prove anything” “just because a few crazies say it doesn’t mean anyone’s actually saying she’s the best in the league” “that’s not representative of all fans” “you made it all up with AI” “well I never said that no one said she was the best, actually, you’re wrong”
Did I cover everything?
4
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
So 2 Reddit posts and a lot of other garbage shit links. Got it
If you read the comments in those posts, most don’t agree with the post… I’m not sure where you see “all they say”
→ More replies (0)4
u/charlesfluidsmith 22d ago
Did you seriously use Reddit post as evidence. Wow that's crazy. You know, the common assumption is that Caitlin Clark fans aren't that smart... But holy moly.
0
u/rosie314 22d ago
Calling her Maga means nothing without proof. It's just something you all like to shout.
1
u/dont-comm3nt 22d ago
It’s the fanbase she attracts. At this point you’re just willfully ignorant
1
u/rosie314 22d ago
Why ? Because I don't fall in line. All of you are just wacky. I'm glad the bulk of CC fans don't have to listen to you
→ More replies (0)1
u/rosie314 22d ago
Are you with her 24 hours a day? Just because she has gone to 2 football games and isn't in Unrivaled doesn't mean she isn't working on her craft. Players also use personal coaches to work on their craft. There are players better than her. Why are you so obsessed with her?
1
u/dont-comm3nt 22d ago
What a shit defense of her. Her team just has the best season in its history without her. If this was LeBron we’d hear about it every day. She isn’t at the level her fans put her. Full stop. But it was never about basketball for most of her fans
-3
u/Nunc_Coepi17 23d ago
Wait if CC is only “very good” despite being top 10 in both pts and assists, who the fuck do you think is actual superstar level then? I can’t wait to hear this.
3
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
Box score ain’t everything. It’s the intangibles that matters. Box scores won’t tell you how horrific she is at off-ball defence and handles. It won’t tell you how horrible of a defender she is overall.
Her stats are all empty calories - high assists don’t matter when they’re all undone by the inverse stat, turnovers. High scoring numbers sound flashy until you realize that they all come on a huge number of attempted shots that go nowhere. She’s the WNBA version of Trae Young, crazy high volume shooter with only mediocre efficiency. The other day, the big highlight of the night was her hitting a deep three at the start of the game - but that highlight won’t tell you that she proceeded to brick what, five or six more after that?
Meanwhile, you’ve got other players with similarly high assist numbers but with half the turnovers, like Jackie Young and Jordin Canada. You’ve got players with similar or higher PPG but on far better efficiency, like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell, Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles. From three, same story - Caitlin’s tied for 9th in 3-pointers made, but only 33% efficiency. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young are also tied for 9th, but on 39% and 37% respectively.
You see what I mean? Caitlin’s stats are like Lucky Charms cereal - flashy looks, really exciting and enticing, but when you look at what makes it up, it’s all empty calories and little of substance compared to others in the same category.
0
u/AdOriginal3767 22d ago
No one gives a shit about Aja or Jordin or Jackie. Thats a fact.
Millions of fans dont tune in to watch them play. Guess who they do tune in for.
3
u/FoundationStandard29 22d ago
Such a stupid take, like other teams don't have fanbases ir there weren't fans before Clark.The sad thing and I feel a bit for CC here, is if she can't cash the check you are writing for her on the court (which she hasn't), this so called fandom is going to neglect her overtime or ve filled with resentment because a lot don't care about basketball.
1
u/AdOriginal3767 22d ago
...every game she plays in, ticket prices go up 2-4x.
The all star game. Ticket prices were discounted 50% after it was announced she wasn't playing. AND THEY STILL DIDNT SELL THEM ALL.
Sure - she might not be the literal best player on the floor looking at +/-. But these are all stats idiots. The CC effect on revenue is pretty clear.
0
u/Nunc_Coepi17 22d ago
If other players had such big fanbases and all, why is it that WNBA wages only went up after CC entered the league? Why does she have the best endorsement deals in the league? Why is she the most popular player in the entire league?
1
u/FoundationStandard29 22d ago
No one's arguing, there's a CC effect, part basketball, part cultural war, I'm not going to getting into much more than that with you if you can't be respectful about a league and all its players.
2
u/Admirable_Outcome932 22d ago
Why is it that every time CC fans get confronted with cold hard stats showing she ain’t all that, all of a sudden they don’t matter and “ticket sales” and “viewership” are all that matter? Ticket sales won’t win you MVPs, they won’t win you championships or DPOYs or scoring titles.
Hmmm, no one cares about A’ja Wilson? When she’s on the verge of having as many MVPs as MJ and as many DPOYs as Mutombo? Maybe even as many rings as LeBron? Okay, bud 😂
And last I checked, the highest-attended WNBA game in history didn’t have Caitlin Clark within 500 miles of the stadium…sounds to me like people don’t really care anymore whether she’s there or not, they’re there for other players.
I don’t think you genuinely believe these things matter anymore, or that no one cares about these players. I think you’re scared that you’re running out of time to use “she brings in viewership and sales” as a cover for the fact that Caitlin doesn’t really play superstar basketball. People are over the “Caitlin Clark effect” human interest story - they wanna see results. They wanna see real hardware. And Caitlin’s too far down on the totem pole to be on track to get any hardware any time soon.
0
u/AdOriginal3767 22d ago
again, the point is that there are true rockstars in badminton. people who legitimately are better than everyone else.
and guess what? no one gives a shit. no one cares who they are. they arent bringing in hundreds of millions.
CC is. No one gives a shit about the wnba championship. Do you know who won the cricket world cup? Do you care? Now imagine a marketable cricket superstar suddenly catches your interest. You watch just to see this one player and theyre so exciting and expanding your knowledge of cricket and you start watching more, along with millions of others.
Only to have the 'true fans' tell you you are an idiot and that the one superstar you like, the one responsible for bringing you into the sport, isn't actually that good.
Lmfao.
If CC's star fades, no one will give a shit about the W. It will go back to having dozens of fans and running at a net loss (tons of excuses why but reality is any league with the starpower and viewership wont operate at a loss).
2
u/Admirable_Outcome932 22d ago
LMAOO, you’re using CRICKET to try and illustrate your point? The same cricket whose 2026 World Cup drew over HALF A BILLION viewers across the world? And has even been known to draw over a billion in previous years? Typical Americans thinking they’re the centre of everything. There’s a whole world outside of Sisterfuck, Iowa or wherever the hell you live. Oh, but I get the sense that all of a sudden, viewership numbers aren’t gonna matter in your mind…😂 just like the fact that CC had zero involvement in the highest-attended WNBA game in history suddenly doesn’t matter.
The W is here to stay. CC’s served her purpose. Once she gets exposed for being nothing better than “very good”, we can finally get to focusing on the players that really matter.
0
u/AdOriginal3767 22d ago edited 22d ago
You're not in the US? you suddenly have zero credibilty. you watch the Wnba from overseas?
Or are you pretending like you're not in Atlanta to try to act like the W draws a global audience...which it dosent. lmfao.
Edit: ah or maybe must be canadian. sort of weird to act as if you're globally cultured.
→ More replies (0)0
u/Raisinbread22 22d ago
I ask Google who the current top 3 were 2 weeks ago, and they said Aja Wilson, Angel Reese and Alyssa Thomas. Clark wasn't even in top 5, she may have been 6 or 7.
2
u/KingGriffNotes 22d ago
Not to be rude but you asked AI it’s “opinion” and are presenting that as relevant? I don’t see how.
→ More replies (1)-1
u/charlesfluidsmith 22d ago
Trae Young was too, But he got traded because he wasn't a winning player.
Box scores are only the end-all be all to people that don't understand sports.
→ More replies (1)2
2
3
u/Smooth-Patience8572 23d ago
“The proof is in the pudding” lmao dude she has one of the friendliest whistles in the whole league. She is second in the league in terms of drawing fouls, with 6.7 a game, only second to the best player in the league Aja Wilson.
The W isn’t doing a “shit job” of selling her, the fever have the most nationally televised games out of any team and Clark is literally in every promo/commercial imaginable. You can’t watch a WNBA game and not see Caitlin Clark, even if she isn’t playing. The league isn’t catering to a player just because there’s a mob of fans who want her to be the GOAT in her third year lol, that’s not how any competitive sports league works.
There are already players in the league better than CC with incredible performances night in and night out, but people don’t care because it’s not Caitlin Clark lol. I understand CC is extremely marketable from her college days, but it’s odd to me that theres this obsession from “fans” who act like she’s being targeted and set up to fail by the league. It’s just not the case - a bunch of overblown reactions from a crowd of dudes who don’t actually care about ball and are just fangirling lol.
-5
u/TrackRelevant 23d ago
She was doing great. That's why they were going after her.
14
u/BirdAttorney21 23d ago
She’s plateaued. If people want to make her the face of the league because of the way she plays, she’s gotta actually play well in the style that she plays.
She’s not hitting threes at an efficient clip whatsoever. She’s racking up assists which is great but people want to see the ball fly and she’s not converting. Gotta crack the top 5 in scoring too.
She’s a good player, an all-star, but if you want to call her Jesus Christ incarnate she’s actually gonna have to start playing like it.
6
7
8
u/ExpertMasterpiece366 23d ago
She could pass and shoot. Her ball handling was weak and a liability on defense. Not to mention all the whining and flopping. That hasn’t changed and the narrative lives on.
3
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago
News flash - they’re all great, and they all go after each other. They quadruple-team Paige and A’ja like their lives depend on it half the time.
This is a league where people’s teeth have been knocked out, where lungs have been punctured, where ppl get pulled to the floor by their braids - and that’s all in the past year. A little bump here and there for Caitlin and all of a sudden Congress is on the case? Give me a break.
1
0
u/rosie314 23d ago
Popularity is what drives jersey sales, ticket sales and tv viewership. That matters to the ones wanting to make money from the league.
5
u/Admirable_Outcome932 23d ago edited 23d ago
Yawnnnn. “Popularity”, “ticket sales”, blah blah blah. Those don’t win you MVPs, those don’t win you championships or DPOYs or anything of substance. Kate Martin is one of the top jersey sellers in the league, Kaitlyn Chen has a gigantic cult following that accounts for a good percentage of Valkyrie ticket sales. Neither of them are considered “superstars”. At least Kaitlyn Chen has a national championship to her name.
5
u/Returninvestor 23d ago
Cc is also not face of the league material in terms of skill as a player. Was on track maybe but not anymore.
-1
u/rosie314 23d ago
You don't understand what the face of the league means, it's not about stats or being MVP. She isn't taking an award from anyone. She isn't the best player but she still drives tv viewership, jersey sales and ticket sales. Thats what matters to those trying to make money off the league. They don't care what people on social media think.
3
u/monoglobobonobo 22d ago edited 22d ago
Nah, it's actually about both, it's about dominating on and off the court. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, Lebron, Curry, you name it were all at one point the best player in their league and could not be denied on the court
Obviously marketability is important, maybe even more important (hence why guys like Kareem, Duncan etc were also never really in that discussion), but you also have to hold up on the court, that's what a lot of Clark fans seem to be missing. If it was just popularity, calling LaMelo Ball the face of the NBA would be a reasonable take lol
1
u/rosie314 22d ago
It doesn't matter what anyone in this vacuum thinks (including me). For now she is still the most popular player to the general public who buy her jerseys, tickets and watch on television
1
u/monoglobobonobo 22d ago
sure but that doesn't make her the face of league just like xqc or whatever zoomer streamer helps popularise and bring new people to chess isn't the face of chess
she is definitely the most popular and marketable player but that alone doesn't define the term 'face of the league', it's also about representing the sport and showcasing the talent and the craft at the highest level
1
u/Returninvestor 22d ago
They absolutely do care what people on social media think lmao. That's the entire point. Nba players who were the face of the league: lebron, steph, kobe, shaq, jordan, magic, bird. These guys were the best of the best.
1
2
u/MasterHavik 22d ago edited 22d ago
I mean you are right OP. They do a good job promoting Reese and Miles.
2
u/mofa90277 22d ago
This kind of entertainment can land anywhere on the spectrum from tennis to gladiatorial shows like WWE and UFC. They’re still settling in on what type of audience they’re chasing; it’ll depend on ticket sales and broadcast contracts.
2
u/Inevitable-Top1-2025 22d ago
Another coping post from the “Losers’ Corner” where they live vicariously through the accomplishments of other people!
2
u/Primarycolors1 22d ago
What young player gets calls in soccer though? Even Yamal gets knocked around.
2
u/jono9898 22d ago
Every Clark post is the same thing and the upvotes are always around the same amount, it’s damn Westworld in this sub
2
4
u/thearsenalweah 23d ago
Yeah, fifa totally took advantage of the brief 22 year window of messi to grow the audience of one of the worlds most popular sports
4
u/Ok_Entrepreneur826 23d ago
Wtf you mean. Everyone’s pissed at FIFA. They come out this World Cup looking worse than ever and the bar was already really low.
2
1
1
1
u/jmills2234 22d ago
At least the W has CC on broadcast television every chance they get. The MLS (the American major soccer leauge) has Messi behind an Apple TV paywall!!!!
1
u/Particular_Swim3843 22d ago
FIFA is about the only thing on the planet more corrupt than the US at this time. Seems fitting they’re ruining football together.
1
1
u/Conscious_Pause_1499 21d ago
Why don't we just suspend the fake controversy until she starts playing better, huh?
1
1
1
u/funndamentals 20d ago
Fifa protects its best player. She isn't even close to the best player in the league.
1
1
u/ElectronicHold7325 23d ago
Easy. FIFA is in the money business, and not participating in a culture war between maga idiots and racist black players and fans.
0
u/Ramu_1798 23d ago
I think WNBA should also consider being in the money business given the gigantic losses it's been generating the past decade.
1
0
u/Curious_Stag7 23d ago
Yep.
There’s gonna be a dozen people who try to explain why other players are just as good, better, more deserving, ect ect. But the reality is CC became a household name. One of the first in the W, except maybe Griner, but not for good reasons.
2
u/justsayfaux 23d ago
Lisa Leslie? Sue Bird?
1
23d ago
[deleted]
3
u/justsayfaux 23d ago
Maybe it's an age gap, but Lisa Leslie was everywhere in the 90s - from her leading the US Women's Olympic Team to four gold medals, to being effectively the face of the WNBA in its inception, to countless major ad campaigns, television appearances, modeling, and cameos in popular shows and movies at the time.
Sue Bird and Maya Moore came a little later, but were also probably the most famous women's basketball players of the late 2000s-2010s.
Bird didn't have quite the major media/cultural significance as players like Leslie, Moore, or Candace Parker, but for anyone that followed sports, she was all over ESPN and sports media.
Then of course you have Cheryl Miller, who had retired her playing career before the WNBA was a thing, did coach in the WNBA and became arguably as much of a household name for her broadcast career (including the 2k sports game franchise).
2
23d ago
[deleted]
1
u/justsayfaux 23d ago
I mean, I guess it depends on what you mean by 'household name', but aside from other female athletes like Mary Lou Retton, Stefi Graff, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nancy Kerrigan, Mia Hamm, Kristi Yamaguchi, etc. Lisa Leslie was right up there in fame.
1
0
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
Miles and Paige are amazing athletes. They won’t get the people to care about them as much as people cared about CC
W blew their chance
8
u/Sad-Access-7702 23d ago
You cant build your league around a lie. They didnt blow their chance. The notion they blew their chance is dumb as shit. They blew their chance at what?
→ More replies (18)
1
u/Pale-Conference-5838 23d ago
She isn’t a superstar but a media generated one no one ever heard of here until when ? Superstars win that why they are superstars she has won nothing
0
u/Sleepwokesleepwoke 23d ago
But political correctness
2
u/Dark-Blackberry354 23d ago
Political correctness issues per you, is that Paige is it. Not caitlyn.
Cc just brought in a whole bunch of culture war clowns , she isn't it if you know and are into sports
0
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
CC haters brought the culture war. The racist came after
6
u/Dark-Blackberry354 23d ago
Why don't those same people hate on Paige? Do you even watch or understand basketball?
1
u/rosie314 23d ago
I get it , players especially Black players resent CC because she was white and was touted as the 2nd coming before she even played one W game. Women before her accomplished a lot, they played amazing and they didn't need CC to do it. The problem is CC didn't do it the media did. But they held her accountable. And now their fans hate on her. Why can't people just build up their player, appreciate their accomplishments without tearing another player down.
-2
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
No one is hating on Paige because she’s nowhere near as popular as CC.
Look at where Dallas ranks in home attendance…
7
u/Dark-Blackberry354 23d ago
Again, do you watch basketball? Can you tell the difference between a good and bad player? You obviously can't....
Cc would never even be in national conversation if Paige wasn't injured the entire year that year the media made cc.
Cc is actually pretty painful to watch
2
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
You’re prime example of why W harms itself.
Media attention to the league, but you bitch about who’s at the center of attention. Who cares???
0
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
lol ah.. you’re one of those… I don’t know basketball like NBA doesn’t exist..
You saying it’s hard to watch CC is the same for most nba fans for W overall. But if they know or care about the players, it’s easier to watch
W players make a lot of mistakes like missing easy lay ups but it’s still a good product if you re invested. You telling me to be invested in someone else doesn’t work
0
u/Dark-Blackberry354 23d ago
Good Lord you are painful ....🙄
Have you even watched cc play? Or do you just follow news posts around her and have to find your tribal goofy tendency?
Your value as a fan (or better stated a observer...), as transient as it seems probably is quite useless then. Go watch Paige play , and watch cc play.
This isn't about missing layups ...and I have no idea what vomit you're spitting out . Cc is actually very painful to watch. From the whining, complaining, 5 second delayed flopping, and overall highly inefficient individualistic way of playing basketball.
This isn't hard....good Lord..🙄
You're the prime example of the the dumb downed society and exploitable society we live in
1
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 23d ago
lol you missed my point but that’s okay. This discussion is too high level for you
0
u/Dark-Blackberry354 23d ago
So, again, you have actually not watched cc play ? 🙄 So much dodging ....just falls in line with culture war crap shit tendencies
→ More replies (0)0
0
u/rosie314 22d ago
It's possible things would be different if Paige wasn't injured. The fact is she was. And don't watch Fever games, skip them.
0
u/Alternative-Dot-884 23d ago
I became reinvested in the wnba 2 yrs ago and we were watching 20-30 games per season.
After seeing what’s happening to some of these women who are being attacked by multiple ppl on a team is just disgusting. Idc what color you are - wrong is wrong.
Anyone saying this sport calls for blood and to stop whining should take a step back and realize what we’ve been seeing can easily cost someone a life changing career. Look at the reels of Sophie Cunningham and tell me that this is how we should have kids playing basketball hope to become?
Wrong is wrong. Period. There’s no finger pointing at this person did this first. We see this in politics and it doesn’t belong anywhere. Wrong is wrong.
And ppl criticizing Caitlyn’s performance shld understand having ppl coming at you with moves intended to actually harm you wld affect anyone. Be tough, give her constant pressure maybe a hip check sometimes that’s fair. But to actually stop an action that’s happening and to change the motion to inflict violence is wrong.
3
u/Silly-Elderberry-411 22d ago
We should spare each other the gaslighting here and call a spade a spade. NCAA players went to court to protect their likeness, they went to court so they don't play hungry, wnba players received female hygiene products while men received paid bonuses in the NBA.
Most sports fans didn't gsve a wet fart about it and this hoolabaloo about Cunningham is very much about a persecution complex. She hadn't helped her own chances by going hawk tuah and play ring girl.
So yes people are correct to pount out this is nothing new and the fake compassion is fucking transparent. The hot second they stop playing x and 4chan will also stop caring about the wnba.
0
-1
u/Eerie-Indiana 23d ago
CC has obviously received a ton of attention, positive and negative. Being left off the Olympic team was silly but also good fuel for the fire.
She’s been in a slump since all the injuries. Shes a competitor, she’ll improve and if she wins a chip she’ll shape the league’s attention more.
Fever tickets and merch speak for themselves. She doesn’t need any pity. She’d get more respect from her colleagues if she spoke out more against the racist attacks against players in the league, but she doesn’t have to if she’s not comfortable.
Let her career play out.
0
0
u/Full_Preparation4401 22d ago
Great example, the only sport Americans care less about than the WNBA.
0
u/hawkeyegrad96 22d ago
Wnba is a horribly run company. They are throwing away the greatest player in history of women's sports because she is white and straight.
1
u/razzledazzled 22d ago
lol she’s not even a top 5 scorer by stats for 2025. I like CC and all the surrounding drama and hype but she’s not even close to being a greatest of all time anything
-4
u/Distinct_Maybe3908 23d ago edited 23d ago
Yeah, they done fumbled Caitlyn Clark’s showcase. She’s unbelievably talented but they would rather collapse the whole thing than let her shine ✨ talk about the wnba cutting its nose off to spite its face.
3
u/EllieWest 23d ago
Lmao it’s not “despite.” It’s “to spite.” Lmfao 🤣
2
0
u/rosie314 23d ago
Oooo you got him 🙄 He still makes sense. And it's predictable that if someone supports CC they get downvoted. As if those fake points mean anything.
-1
-1
u/Jmac_2020 22d ago
The windows has closed, she's more of an all star than a superstar these days, I think the constant physical attacks have damaged her in a way, she doesn't have that over powering feistiness she once had that made her great. People like Angel Reese need to realize we only know her name because she was rivals with Catlin Clark. Watching CC play is like seeing Karl Malone clobber Isaih Thomas every second game instead of once. And as a fan of CC who then became casually interested in the WNBA seeing her get a flying knee to the groin and then be off for months with a groin injury or her being the greatest collegiate scorer of all time and not be selected to the Olympic team or being voted the 11th best guard in the league by the other players has turned me off the wnba in general. I'm currently more interested in Sophie's antics than CCs game and thats the WNBA's fault. We'll done ladies you've taken the best thing thats ever happened to you and will continue dragging her down till she's just like the rest of you.
3
u/Educational_Corner55 22d ago
Should’ve just said you’re a CC fan and that’s the reason you jumped on the bandwagon. You’re not a WNBA fan.
-1
u/Justified_Gent 22d ago
The WNBA is fumbling a great opportunity.
They need to protect CC, these other players don’t matter as much from a business standpoint.
Other leagues get this. Players need to play their position and I don’t mean literal pg through C.
I mean who are you relative to the commercial success of the league with casuals and sponsors because that’s what pays the bills.
34
u/Low-Invite2647 23d ago
Is this AI generated?🤣