{"id":2271491,"date":"2024-06-19T12:39:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-puts-wnba-haters-on-notice-headlines-biggest-game-in-over-2-decades\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T12:45:54","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:45:54","slug":"caitlin-clark-puts-wnba-haters-on-notice-headlines-biggest-game-in-over-2-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-puts-wnba-haters-on-notice-headlines-biggest-game-in-over-2-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Caitlin Clark Silences WNBA Critics, Stars in Most Significant Game in 20+ Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcaitlin-clark-puts-wnba-haters-on-notice-headlines-biggest-game-in-over-2-decades%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2271491&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has greatly boosted the\u2064 WNBA&#8217;s profile since her debut. Amidst dealing with \u2063racial remarks and aggressive plays \u200dfrom opponents, Clark led the WNBA to its highest TV ratings in 23 years with 2.25 million viewers \u200cwatching her game against the Chicago Sky. This game represented a 225% increase in viewership from the previous year.\u2062 Clark&#8217;s influence extends beyond ratings as she has played \u2064in five of the most-watched WNBA games since 2002. Her presence has\u200d also\u200c significantly enhanced league merchandise sales, social media engagement, and other digital interactions.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Clark&#8217;s undeniable impact and popularity,\u2062 criticism and\u200b resentments from some corners suggest racial and identity politics at \u200dplay, given her identity as a straight \u2062white woman in a majority black and gay league. This has led to debates \u200bon \u2064whether\u2062 the league\u2063 is fully \u2064leveraging her\u200d stardom. Critics argue that\u200b failing to maximize \u2063Clark&#8217;s appeal might hinder the WNBA&#8217;s growth, reflecting broader tensions around identity and representation in sports.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>    <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/schang\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/schang\/%20\"><span>Samantha Chang<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 19, 2024 at 6:17am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark continues to cement her marquee status despite being the target of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-nbas-doris-burke-under-fire-after-joking-about-caitlin-clark-targeting-during-nba-finals-might-spark-a-debate\/\" title=\"Watch: NBA's Doris Burke Faces Backlash for Joking About Caitlin Clark During NBA Finals - 'Could Ignite Debate\">race-hustling trash talk<\/a> and flagrant fouls.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jemele-hill-says-caitlin-clark-popular-race-sexuality-racial-meltdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rookie sensation<\/a> helped the WNBA score its biggest TV audience in 23 years, as a whopping 2.25 million viewers tuned in to watch the Fever defeat the Chicago Sky, CBS Sports announced.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a 225 percent increase in viewership from the same time last year.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CBS Sports delivers record viewership for Indiana Fever\u2019s win over Chicago Sky on Sunday, with most-watched WNBA game in 23 years: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/agYye8P6ps\">pic.twitter.com\/agYye8P6ps<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBSSportsGang\/status\/1803068942828597733?\">June 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe Caitlin Clark-led Fever have now played in each of the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, with two of those five matchups coming against Chicago,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsmediawatch.com\/2024\/06\/caitlin-clark-angel-reese-ratings-most-watched-wnba-game-23-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sports Media Watch<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wnba.com\/news\/tip-off-2024-success-breakdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> that in May, it had its highest-attended opening in 26 years and its most-watched season opener ever across all networks that aired its games.<\/p>\n<p>The league also boasted that it had set records for merchandise sales, social media engagement, app downloads and league pass subscriptions \u2014 with triple-digit spikes across all categories.<\/p>\n<p>More than half of all WNBA games last month were sellouts \u2014 an astonishing 156 percent increase from last year, the league said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Do you like Caitlin Clark?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In short, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-nbas-doris-burke-fire-joking-caitlin-clark-targeting-nba-finals-might-spark-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clark<\/a>\u2018s WNBA debut has exponentially raised the profile of a heretofore sleepy sports league.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the 22-year-old superstar has ignited such enthusiasm that countless new fans are buying tickets to WNBA games, purchasing merchandise, tuning in to games on TV and discussing women\u2019s basketball across social media.<\/p>\n<p>So it\u2019s no surprise that Clark has become the target of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-angel-reese-viciously-slaps-caitlin-clark-brutal-foul-rivalry-heats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bitter jealousy<\/a> and malicious resentment.<\/p>\n<p>Numerous X users agree that the NCAA scoring champion is responsible for the meteoric surge in public interest in her sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe public hasn\u2019t cared about the WNBA or women\u2019s basketball as a whole for decades,\u201d one person wrote. \u201cHistorically, Attendance numbers, TV ratings for both NCAA and WNBA show that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the first time, women\u2019s basketball has a player in Caitlin Clark that is must-see TV\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In the simplest of terms. The public hasn\u2019t cared about the WNBA or women\u2019s basketball as a whole for decades. Historically, Attendance numbers, TV ratings for both NCAA and WNBA show that.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, women\u2019s basketball has a player in Caitlin Clark that is must see TV.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fZmvrsAwy2\">pic.twitter.com\/fZmvrsAwy2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Al Smizzle (@AlZeidenfeld) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlZeidenfeld\/status\/1799491742234001529?\">June 8, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cIt\u2019s not just about Caitlin Clark,\u201d the haters said.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA ticket sales are up 93% from this date last year.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA television ratings are up 180% from this date last year.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Draft tv rating was up 400% from 2023. I wonder who went #1 \ud83e\udd14?<\/p>\n<p>Oh, this too \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd. Wake up! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yaKWOpqZ6O\">pic.twitter.com\/yaKWOpqZ6O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarcRyanOnAir\/status\/1797990404140433808?\">June 4, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to sports website OutKick, WNBA games featuring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-angel-reese-defends-vicious-hit-caitlin-clark-blames-refs-fouls-special-whistle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clark<\/a> averaged 1.099 million viewers as of June 5. Games without Clark drew an average of 414,000 viewers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy comparison, the WNBA drew an average of 301,000 viewers per game last season,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/sports\/ratings-say-caitlin-clark-single-handedly-carrying-wnba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Outkick<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Viewership averages this season:<\/p>\n<p>Games featuring Caitlin Clark: 1.099 million viewers.<\/p>\n<p>Games not featuring Clark: 414,000.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Angel Reese says she\u2019s a bigger draw than Clark.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HPy4g9quze\">https:\/\/t.co\/HPy4g9quze<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 OutKick (@Outkick) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Outkick\/status\/1798513642356474359?\">June 6, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Clark is an undeniable rainmaker for the WNBA, so it\u2019s disgraceful that her haters downplay her talent and smear her fans as racists.<\/p>\n<p>Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Jason Riley said the WNBA is failing to leverage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-bill-maher-says-wnba-players-hate-caitlin-clark-white-not-lesbian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clark\u2019s<\/a> incredible popularity \u2014 to its own detriment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lesson here for professional women\u2019s basketball, yet the league seems to be in no danger of learning it anytime soon,\u201d Riley wrote in a brilliant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/is-the-wnba-afraid-of-caitlin-clark-8b096a86\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">column<\/a> on June 11.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn terms of popularity, WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark is the Tiger Woods of her sport,\u201d he said. \u201cShe left college as the NCAA\u2019s all<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-player-diversifies-the-wnba-champions-of-diversity-are-somehow-not-happy\/\" title=\"White Player Brings Diversity to the WNBA, Yet Diversity Advocates Express Discontent\">-time scoring leader<\/a> for women and men.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen her University of Iowa Hawkeyes faced the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA women\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-senator-breaks-femur-at-uconn-basketball-victory-parade-after-person-taking-video-falls-on-him\/\" title=\"Dem Senator Breaks Femur At UConn Basketball Victory Parade After Person Taking Video Falls On Him\">championship game earlier<\/a> this year, it drew a larger television audience than the men\u2019s final for the first time in history,\u201d Riley wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy 11-year-old daughter loves playing basketball, but she started watching women\u2019s basketball only because of Caitlin Clark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued, \u201cYet somehow, Ms. Clark didn\u2019t earn a spot on the 12-player team that will represent the U.S. at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris \u2026 The WNBA is desperate to expand its brand, but it won\u2019t showcase the sport\u2019s biggest star at an event that drew more than three billion viewers worldwide in 2020? This is self-sabotage.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Attendance at non-Caitlin Clark WNBA games this past weekend:<\/p>\n<p>7,638<br \/> 4,015<br \/> 9,878<br \/> 7,035<br \/> 3,265<br \/> 10,207<br \/> 7,024<\/p>\n<p>Attendance at Caitlin Clark WNBA games this past weekend:<\/p>\n<p>17,274<br \/> 17,401 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JyxdFe8FwQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/JyxdFe8FwQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimmyTraina\/status\/1797778992608792667?\">June 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Riley wondered if the league is deliberately not promoting Clark because \u201cWNBA officials are queasy about having a straight white woman become the face of a league dominated by women who are black and gay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact that we have to tiptoe around these issues is so stupid. The WNBA is shooting itself in the foot by bending the knee to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wnba-player-loses-says-caitlin-clarks-name-used-racism-bigotry-deranged-rant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">divisive race politics<\/a> instead of promoting its sport and its few superstars.<\/p>\n<p>Given this virtue-signaling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-announces-new-path-citizenship-hundreds-thousands-illegal-immigrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">self-immolation<\/a>, the league shouldn\u2019t come crying if it slips back into obscurity.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d Those 12 words have been stuck in my head since I first read them. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn recently made that comment to Floyd Brown, founder of The Western Journal. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>And if the leftists and the elites get their way, that\u2019s exactly what will happen \u2014 no real election, no real choice for the Electoral College, and no real say for the American people. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal is fighting to keep that from happening, but we can\u2019t do it alone.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We work tirelessly to expose the lying leftist media and the corrupt America-hating elites.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech\u2019s stranglehold is now so tight that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without help<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  from you, we will not be able to continue the fight. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The 2024 election is literally the most important election for every living American. We have to unite and fight for our country, otherwise we will lose it. And if we lose the America we love in 2024, we\u2019ll lose it for good. Can we <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>count on you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to help? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>With you we will be able to field journalists, do more investigative work, expose more corruption, and get desperately needed truth to millions of Americans. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We can do this only with your help. Please don\u2019t wait one minute.<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>  Donate right now<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Thank you for reading,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  today.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-45423\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/schang\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-45423\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45423\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45423\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45423\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Samantha Chang is a political commentator, lawyer and financial editor in NYC.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Samantha Chang is a politics writer, lawyer and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teacher-investigated-after-movie-she-showed-in-classroom-takes-shot-at-christian-school-board-member\/\" title=\"Teacher Investigated After Movie She Showed in Classroom, Takes Shot at Christian School Board Member\">financial editor based<\/a> in NYC. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, despite facing racial trash talk and harsh fouls, boosts her star power. On Sunday, the rookie led the WNBA to its largest TV audience in 23 years, attracting 2.25 million viewers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2011,"featured_media":2271492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Caitlin-Clark-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2271491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Caitlin-Clark-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2271491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2271492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2271491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2271491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2271491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}