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For years, the WNBA struggled to get by and draw public interest. They were focused on surviving more than thriving, but that's not the case anymore. The league has been on the rise for years now, but the emergence of Caitlin Clark has changed the landscape significantly.
Clark has emerged as the biggest sensation in all of basketball, even ahead of some of her NBA counterparts. That was evident again on her return to the court after missing the past five games with a quad injury. As shown by 'Clark Report' on X, the Indiana Fever's matchup with the Connecticut Sun drew nearly three times as many viewers as the average NBA game this season:
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"Fever vs Sun drew 624,000 viewers on NBA TV, more than Sky vs Liberty on ESPN (606,000) and 150% more than the network average this NBA season (249,000)," read the post.
The Fever has literally had to change venues to play in bigger stadiums because of the 'Caitlin Clark effect.'
Stephen A. Smith feels some of the vitriol Caitlin Clark experiences is "self-induced"
However, not everybody agrees with that. Several players, including Angel Reese, have dismissed the narrative of the Caitlin Clark effect, and league executives have also tried to tone it down.
Clark has had some rough treatment on the court, but also has a reputation as something of a trash-talker, which is why Stephen A. Smith believes she's not entirely innocent:
"Caitlin Clark being that ‘golden goose’ per se, that ‘rising tide that’s lifting all boats,’ I stand by my past proclamations that there’s resentment toward her because of that," Smith said on ESPN's 'First Take'.
"But I want to take it a step further. There’s also resentment toward her because she instigates resentment toward her sometimes. Oh, Caitlin can clap at ya now, Caitlin can antagonize ya now."
Smith compared her to Larry Bird in that regard, and he also wanted to make it clear that, while she's responsible for the vitriol to a degree, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing:
"The vitriol that she gets, some of it is self-induced, I just happen to love it because that’s sports," Smith added.
Everybody seems to have something to say about Clark, and the league will continue to thrive for as long as she continues to draw eyes.
