OT: CLARK /REESE/WNBA

[Las Panteras]

Not a fan of the WNBA. But, its impossible not to see / hear this war between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

To me.....this is this generation's Magic / Bird battles. Two terrific players going at it every night they play.

But instead of the WNBA in conjunction with TV playing up the generational nature of this, both entities have allowed this to devolve into uncalled for brawling with a racial overtone.

I have no interest in this league but i gotta say....if the networks promoted this as Magic / Bird 2.0.....the ratings would go up, not down.

Is the WNBA that stupid?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I have no interest in this league but i gotta say....if the networks promoted this as Magic / Bird 2.0.....the ratings would go up, not down.

Is the WNBA that stupid?

What makes you think that the ratings are going down?

They are, in fact, setting new attendance and television viewership numbers all the time.

 

[Las Panteras]

What makes you think that the ratings are going down?

They are, in fact, setting new attendance and television viewership numbers all the time.

well, as I said, I am not paying attention other than headlines. That said, I cant help but think interest goes up from here if the league adopts a Magic / Bird type of story and puts the kibosh on its current scenario.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

In some ways, I think this is staged. It's good for ratings.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

well, as I said, I am not paying attention other than headlines. That said, I cant help but think interest goes up from here if the league adopts a Magic / Bird type of story and puts the kibosh on its current scenario.

So to recap, you aren't paying any attention to what they are doing, but you think that they should be doing things completely differently.

 

[Las Panteras]

So to recap, you aren't paying any attention to what they are doing, but you think that they should be doing things completely differently.

In fact, I do. I appreciate you telling me ratings and attendance is up. As mentioned, i am not interested in the current fued between these 2. But evidently the ratings say otherwise

I would be intrigued however, if I thought it was promoted more as great basketball players going at it opposed to a UFC brawl. I am guessing theres a lot of on the fence fans that agree.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

To me.....this is this generation's Magic / Bird battles. Two terrific players going at it every night they play.

1 terrific player and another who is the definition of ordinary. I've seen people without hands tie their shoes easier then I've seen Reese play on the offensive side of the court. She is a media creation.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Not a fan of the WNBA. But, its impossible not to see / hear this war between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

To me.....this is this generation's Magic / Bird battles. Two terrific players going at it every night they play.

But instead of the WNBA in conjunction with TV playing up the generational nature of this, both entities have allowed this to devolve into uncalled for brawling with a racial overtone.

I have no interest in this league but i gotta say....if the networks promoted this as Magic / Bird 2.0.....the ratings would go up, not down.

Is the WNBA that stupid?

angel reese is not a good basktball player, at all. she's just big, that's it. . there are plenty of good basketball players in the wnba, both black and white, that would be better to market than her.

Cailtlyn Clark is the face of the wnba, she's why people watch..

 

[jivecat]

That h0nky annoying.

 

[DruidTM]

What makes you think that the ratings are going down?

They are, in fact, setting new attendance and television viewership numbers all the time.

I was gonna say.. where is he getting this?

And “I don’t watch WNBA..” yeah yeah we get it… lol.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

there was some articles i posted, Clark is pretty much 100% responsible for the tv ratings and attendance increase. she's the tiger woods of the wnba and for some unknown reason, instead of embracing and going with it, the wnba does it's best to diminish her importance. it's baffling to say the least..

it would be like the PGA in the mid 90s promoting David Duvall and ignoring Tiger Woods.. just dumb

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

there was some articles i posted, Clark is pretty much 100% responsible for the tv ratings and attendance increase. she's the tiger woods of the wnba and for some unknown reason, instead of embracing and going with it, the wnba does it's best to diminish her importance. it's baffling to say the least..

it would be like the PGA in the mid 90s promoting David Duvall and ignoring Tiger Woods.. just dumb

That's a great analogy. I love the typical rhetoric on America being "racist" because they are now paying attention to a talented white girl doing well in a black dominated sport. But you know, Tiger, or if a black superstar would emerge in hockey, watch how ESPN would cover it.

 

[Chescat1]

A couple of comments....First of all the attendance records and tv ratings
are increasing Big Time! No doubt that Clark is a major reason for these
increases. Over the years I watched very little WNBA. I do remember
Candace Parker. Anyone who knows anything about Bball realizes
she's legit.
The game obviously is far different from the NBA, much of the game is played
at the level of, or bottom of the net. However, takintg in the physiolgical differences
between men and women, for instance women have very little vertical, and
obviously don't have equivalent strength. Their game also isn't mostly
One on One as is the Mens' game. If you want to see dunks, don't watch
these women. However if you like team bball tune in. Another difference,
Clark can shoot threes like Curry, BUT would be hard pressed to even get a
shot off against pressure D from an NBA player. There are some pretty
damn good players in the WNBA, keeping in mind the physical differences
from the men.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

A couple of comments....First of all the attendance records and tv ratings
are increasing Big Time! No doubt that Clark is a major reason for these
increases. Over the years I watched very little WNBA. I do remember
Candace Parker. Anyone who knows anything about Bball realizes
she's legit.
The game obviously is far different from the NBA, much of the game is played
at the level of, or bottom of the net. However, takintg in the physiolgical differences
between men and women, for instance women have very little vertical, and
obviously don't have equivalent strength. Their game also isn't mostly
One on One as is the Mens' game. If you want to see dunks, don't watch
these women. However if you like team bball tune in. Another difference,
Clark can shoot threes like Curry, BUT would be hard pressed to even get a
shot off against pressure D from an NBA player. There are some pretty
damn good players in the WNBA, keeping in mind the physical differences
from the men.

very fair assessment. i will state i've just started watching a few games if Caitlyn Clark is on tv. my biggest complaint about the wnba is just how poor they are on defense. i mean basic fundamental basketball that we learned in grade school are often ignored.. here are my biggest examples.

1/ There are literally 16-20 points scored on simple break aways. on a player on defense breaking early and the team getting the rebound and just baseball throwing it to a wide open player. how this happens with regularity is beyond me. you learned as a point guard to never let anyone behind you and again, every game i've seen, i see 20 points of easy wide open layups. That's how Clark gets about 5 assists per game..


2/ back door cuts are always open with zero help from anyone else. again, to see that many back door cuts lead to wide open layups is just weird. never do i see another defender come over to help either..


3/ i rarely see someone box out when a shot goes up. it reminds me of watching rec basketball with my son when he was in 5th or 6th grade. everyone watches the ball, no one ever puts their backside into the player they are guarding. it's infuriating. you watch angel reese get 5 of her rebounds off of her own misses and you realize the defender just needs to box out and you wouldnt see this. Again, stuff you learn when you are 12 years old..

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That's a great analogy. I love the typical rhetoric on America being "racist" because they are now paying attention to a talented white girl doing well in a black dominated sport. But you know, Tiger, or if a black superstar would emerge in hockey, watch how ESPN would cover it.

Its not a race thing. Clark is the best player of all time and her style of game is very appealing to viewers. Americans are color-blind when it comes to sports. We want to see the best players no matter what they look like.

As for Reese, I'm not sure that she is actually any good. I see these viral videos of her looking like a rec player but you can make anyone look bad by inserting their worst moments into a video. She is, however, extremely marketable and that definitely helps the viewership.

 

[cbpitt2]

The Bricklayers Union has named Angel Reese the bricklayer of the year. No one has put up as many bricks since the Chinese built the Great Wall of China. She doesn't have rebounds she has MEbounds.

 

[BigChungus90210]

The Bricklayers Union has named Angel Reese the bricklayer of the year. No one has put up as many bricks since the Chinese built the Great Wall of China. She doesn't have rebounds she has MEbounds.

Props to you. You beat me to the union bricklayers joke.

 

[BigChungus90210]

Every WNBA player should be kissing Clark's feet. She single handedly raised the floor in terms of marketability for the whole league and every other woman in it, and very tangibly put extra dollars in their pockets. The fact that most of these girls at best are passive aggressive towards her presence, and at worst outright disrespect her, is hilarious.

 

[Chescat1]

very fair assessment. i will state i've just started watching a few games if Caitlyn Clark is on tv. my biggest complaint about the wnba is just how poor they are on defense. i mean basic fundamental basketball that we learned in grade school are often ignored.. here are my biggest examples.

1/ There are literally 16-20 points scored on simple break aways. on a player on defense breaking early and the team getting the rebound and just baseball throwing it to a wide open player. how this happens with regularity is beyond me. you learned as a point guard to never let anyone behind you and again, every game i've seen, i see 20 points of easy wide open layups. That's how Clark gets about 5 assists per game..


2/ back door cuts are always open with zero help from anyone else. again, to see that many back door cuts lead to wide open layups is just weird. never do i see another defender come over to help either..


3/ i rarely see someone box out when a shot goes up. it reminds me of watching rec basketball with my son when he was in 5th or 6th grade. everyone watches the ball, no one ever puts their backside into the player they are guarding. it's infuriating. you watch angel reese get 5 of her rebounds off of her own misses and you realize the defender just needs to box out and you wouldnt see this. Again, stuff you learn when you are 12 years old..

1 terrific player and another who is the definition of ordinary. I've seen people without hands tie their shoes easier then I've seen Reese play on the offensive side of the court. She is a media creation.

Reese certainly is a "media creation." But think about it, she's the perfect foil to Clark who is
"the GOOD"... a white, next door type of girl from middle America who besides being great, is
also polite, articulate, and a non show off. Contrast that with Reese "the BAD"..... glamour girl
from the hood, who comes to the league with a history of taunting Clark while both were in
college. Post game comments are aggressive, defensive, and clearly show a disdain for Clark
while promoting herself. This stuff sells, and believe me, the league loves it as it promotes
the product.

With all that said, Reese was the leading rebounder in the league last year as a rookie. She holds
the record for most rebounds in a season 13rpg. Of course many of her rebounds come off her
many inside (lay ups, put backs) misses. As another poster said, she's a "bricklayer," I agree.
As for, "definition of ordinary?".....not exactly.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Reese certainly is a "media creation." But think about it, she's the perfect foil to Clark who is
"the GOOD"... a white, next door type of girl from middle America who besides being great, is
also polite, articulate, and a non show off. Contrast that with Reese "the BAD"..... glamour girl
from the hood, who comes to the league with a history of taunting Clark while both were in
college. Post game comments are aggressive, defensive, and clearly show a disdain for Clark
while promoting herself. This stuff sells, and believe me, the league loves it as it promotes
the product.

With all that said, Reese was the leading rebounder in the league last year as a rookie. She holds
the record for most rebounds in a season 13rpg. Of course many of her rebounds come off her
many inside (lay ups, put backs) misses. As another poster said, she's a "bricklayer," I agree.
As for, "definition of ordinary?".....not exactly.

wnba doesnt need a villain, just promote some talented younger players. the level of play with these women are impressive, and as more and more young girls play the game, it will continue to improve.


you dont need cheap gimmicky marketing tactics to "trick" people into watching these games..

 

[BigChungus90210]

Reese certainly is a "media creation." But think about it, she's the perfect foil to Clark who is
"the GOOD"... a white, next door type of girl from middle America who besides being great, is
also polite, articulate, and a non show off. Contrast that with Reese "the BAD"..... glamour girl
from the hood, who comes to the league with a history of taunting Clark while both were in
college. Post game comments are aggressive, defensive, and clearly show a disdain for Clark
while promoting herself. This stuff sells, and believe me, the league loves it as it promotes
the product.

With all that said, Reese was the leading rebounder in the league last year as a rookie. She holds
the record for most rebounds in a season 13rpg. Of course many of her rebounds come off her
many inside (lay ups, put backs) misses. As another poster said, she's a "bricklayer," I agree.
As for, "definition of ordinary?".....not exactly.

She's gotta develop for this to be a long term thing though. Nobody cares if you get 40 rebounds a game but can't make a layup. Jordan wasn't rivals with Charles Oakley.

 

[HOF Coach]

She's gotta develop for this to be a long term thing though. Nobody cares if you get 40 layups a game but can't make a layup. Jordan wasn't rivals with Charles Oakley.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

She's gotta develop for this to be a long term thing though. Nobody cares if you get 40 rebounds a game but can't make a layup. Jordan wasn't rivals with Charles Oakley.

They kinda do. See Dennis Rodman. Reese is sort of like the Rodman of the WNBA in style of play (rebounding/no offense) and that "bad boy/bad girl" marketability.

 

[OH Pete]

I saw Clark and Reese and thought we were going to talk candy bars.

 

[BigChungus90210]

They kinda do. See Dennis Rodman. Reese is sort of like the Rodman of the WNBA in style of play (rebounding/no offense) and that "bad boy/bad girl" marketability.

That's a good comparison but I don't think it refutes my point. Nobody ever accused Rodman of being an all time great, and if it wasn't for him being one of the most eccentric people ever, I'm not sure anyone remembers him.

 

[Chescat1]

wnba doesnt need a villain, just promote some talented younger players. the level of play with these women are impressive, and as more and more young girls play the game, it will continue to improve.


you dont need cheap gimmicky marketing tactics to "trick" people into watching these games..

Didn't say people where being "tricked." It's part of Marketing. The WBNA has been losing
$$$$ since the beginning, Clark is greatly responsible for turning things around and
adding attention and $$$$ to its coffers. Having Reese as a so called rival adds to this picture.
The league may not have written this script, but just look at the publicity. Reese currently
has 4.8 million followers on Instagram. This stuff sells, and the league loves it IMO.

 

[OH Pete]

She's gotta develop for this to be a long term thing though. Nobody cares if you get 40 rebounds a game but can't make a layup. Jordan wasn't rivals with Charles Oakley.

Agree. Collins is one of the top 10 players in the game. Reese is not. Not sure she is even top 25.

 

[PittPharm2002]

What makes you think that the ratings are going down?

They are, in fact, setting new attendance and television viewership numbers all the time.

If Angel Reese was actually good at basketball, it would be a great rivalry.
Incredible rebounder - but that’s about it

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Didn't say people where being "tricked." It's part of Marketing. The WBNA has been losing
$$$$ since the beginning, Clark is greatly responsible for turning things around and
adding attention and $$$$ to its coffers. Having Reese as a so called rival adds to this picture.
The league may not have written this script, but just look at the publicity. Reese currently
has 4.8 million followers on Instagram. This stuff sells, and the league loves it IMO.

then why would the league fake outrage last week and talk about some garbage investigation of racism against her by the fans?


you go thru this nonsense of trying create a narrative of her being a villain and then fake outrage when fans dont like her? doesnt make sense..

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

wnba doesnt need a villain, just promote some talented younger players. the level of play with these women are impressive, and as more and more young girls play the game, it will continue to improve.


you dont need cheap gimmicky marketing tactics to "trick" people into watching these games..

Actually....I disagree. Having this "good" vs "evil", "Middle America" vs "the Hood" angle plays well.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Damn. Thought this thread was going to be about something else when I read the title.

 

[OH Pete]

Damn. Thought this thread was going to be about something else when I read the title.

Dude, you totally stole my joke. Of course you upgraded it with photos though.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Dude, you totally stole my joke. Of course you upgraded it with photos though.

Lmao, I didn't read through the thread... that's my bad!

But you know what they say: there's no wrong way to steal a Reese's joke.

 

[pittdan77]

wnba doesnt need a villain, just promote some talented younger players. the level of play with these women are impressive, and as more and more young girls play the game, it will continue to improve.


you dont need cheap gimmicky marketing tactics to "trick" people into watching these games..

I would agree. People are starting to tune into women's sports because they're interesting, now because there is some sort of fake storyline. I think some people just need to justify some of the league's more recent popularity.

 

[Chescat1]

then why would the league fake outrage last week and talk about some garbage investigation of racism against her by the fans?


you go thru this nonsense of trying create a narrative of her being a villain and then fake outrage when fans dont like her? doesnt make sense..

IMO it makes all the "sense" in the world. The league benefits in both ways..... it didn't create the"racism,"
didn't create the "villian," but gets to take the high road and go against both and look good while doing it.

I'm not saying that the league created this whole rivalry......Good vs Bad, Hood vs Middle America,
Taunting vs Politenss/ etc. etc. I'm suggesting that they see this as part of the "cash cow" that's
happening. They're letting it play out. Again, that stuff sells. To me that's smart Marketing.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Actually....I disagree. Having this "good" vs "evil", "Middle America" vs "the Hood" angle plays well.

What is “hood” about angel Reese? Being from near Baltimore ?

 

[Chescat1]

She HERSELF has called her self that. She's played into this big time.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

What is “hood” about angel Reese? Being from near Baltimore ?

 

[BigChungus90210]

View embedded media

God. I wish to someday be even remotely near as important as she thinks she is.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

God. I wish to someday be even remotely near as important as she thinks she is.

She's the self anointed queen of the ghetto lol.