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Mark Montieth: Caitlin Clark is transcendent
It’s exhausting, being a revolutionary. And Clark, with no hint of being rebellious, is just that.
It’s exhausting, being a revolutionary. And Clark, with no hint of being rebellious, is just that.
Under the new agreements, the partners will distribute more than 125 regular season and playoff games nationally each year. There will be 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms, 50 on NBC and 30 on Amazon Prime Video.
Clark is looking forward to the WNBA’s monthlong hiatus for the Paris Olympic Games, but first she will play for the WNBA All-Stars against the U.S. women’s Olympic team in Phoenix on Saturday night.
The Olympic team’s matchup with Team WNBA on Saturday featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will be one of the toughest games the American squad will potentially play over the month.
The NFL remains the top attraction because of its ratings and advertising prowess, but the NBA is a firm second and can command top dollar due to its younger viewers as well as having a ton of content.
The Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell also made the All-Star team.
A new media rights deal is expected to provide an influx of cash that will alter league finances significantly. Meanwhile, the players are expected to opt out of their collective bargaining agreement and renegotiate.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever have played in the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, with two of those five matchups coming against Chicago.
In front of another sellout crowd in Indianapolis, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever took an elbow to the head, courtesy Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
The first month of the WNBA season drew its highest attendance since the league’s second season in 1998 and the best television ratings in its history, the WNBA announced Tuesday.
Based on her inclusion in the U.S. national team pool, Clark could be chosen as an alternate if one of the 12 players is injured and can’t play.
Taking in account a 30-point outburst on Friday night against the Washington Mystics. Clark has averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 5.6 turnovers in her first 12 WNBA games.
In a Tuesday letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Banks said Clark has experienced “resentment and repeated attacks from fellow players” during her first season with the Indiana Fever.
Clark has arrived in the WNBA at an opportune moment. The league is in negotiations for a new media rights deal, which could significantly increase revenue. And the players union and league soon can negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
The league also fined Sky forward Angel Reese $1,000 for failing to make herself available to media after Saturday’s game and fined Chicago $5,000 for failing to ensure that all players comply with league media policies.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that the original plan was to roll out the charters gradually as they became available, but the league was able to secure charters for every team within a week of the season starting.
The Fever drew a crowd of 16,013 on a Tuesday night, about 1,200 spectators short of a sellout. It was the first time the Fever have failed to sell out this season.
Toronto will be the WNBA’s 14th franchise, with the expansion Golden State Valkyries to start play next year.
The Indiana Fever have drawn sellout crowds in all four of their games—two at home, one in New York and one at Connecticut. And league-wide attendance is up 14%.
The last athlete to have a similar signature basketball agreement with Wilson was Michael Jordan.