As the WNBA season winds down and the top eight teams prepare for the playoffs, Caitlin Clark’s name is still ringing bells, creating beefs and keeping the WNBA in the public eye.
Of course, she hasn’t created this explosion for the WNBA on her own. While she’s the most popular player for a number of reasons, there are 143 other players who appreciate the way she’s elevated but also want acknowledgement for their talent , hard work and contributions to the game.
This has been an ongoing theme as the gatekeepers and legends of the WNBA have been dealing with trying to not seem jealous or be labeled as “haters” while also playing aggressive and physical with Clark. Inevitably Clark’s presence provokes more intensity and effort at times from the opposition because they know she has been anointed the Top Dawg.
Satin Sabally Says The WNBA More Than Appreciates Caitlin Clark
Dallas Wings star and German Olympian Satou Sabally probably gave one of the better explanations when it comes to how other established stars feel about the WNBA’s new face.
“You’re the No. 1 pick. People are going to go after you,” Sabally added. “Whether it’s for the right or wrong reasons, whether it’s because they see greatness in you. … There’s just so much more to the WNBA than Caitlin. But Caitlin is the face right now, and that’s also good.”
Clark fans have been hyper focused on stats such as how many flagrant fouls are committed against her, but Sabally sees that as an example of how hard people try to stop her and how impactful she is as a player.
The ratings that Clark brings at home and on the road and the $28 million Nike deal that she signed before entering the league enhance her status.
She then added, “She is selling out gyms. Why would you hate against that?… She is her own economy, and that is amazing. And she is being paid her worth. And now we need to get other women on board to get paid their worth.”
“Because she’s the reflection of what should happen in women’s sports,” Sabally concluded.
Sabally’s comments are also not unheard of. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who also coached Team USA women’s team to another gold medal, said something similar earlier in the season and it wasn’t received well.
WNBA Has To Continue To Build and Promote More Stars
This is the WNBA’s next phase. Now that it has the attention of fringe sports fans and proved that even teams without the recognizable rookies can sell out NBA stadiums and grab solid ratings across several demographics, it has to continue to build the brand and introduce other talented and cornerstone players to a larger audience.
Related: JuJu Watkins Is A Star On And Off The Court As She Gives Back To Where She Came From
If Clark is the only reason that the WNBA is finally getting its due as one of the premier pro leagues in the world and the top women’s pro organization, then this moment is temporary.
Thats what Sabally was getting at. If you got to a restaurant and order the same thing every time and never ever try any other dish then you don’t like that restaurant. You like that one dish it serves.
That will keep you coming back, until you don’t have a taste for that dish anymore. Or the menu changes.
Same with Clark as compared to all the other players in the league, even A’ja Wilson, who will be MVP, and also has a shoe deal with Nike and a new apparel line.
The league can’t get up from under the NBA’s control if it doesn’t continue to expand, develop new transcending stars that future generations of fans can follow from all areas and walks of life.
