Professional basketball is proof that it’s impossible to make everyone happy. On one side you have the NBA, which often gets criticized by old-school fans because the players are too ‘buddy-buddy’ with each other compared to the ’80s and ’90s. Then there’s the WNBA, where the discourse is even more toxic as fans concern-troll players for being too antagonistic towards each other.
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Nowhere has that been more visible than in the way Caitlin Clark has been ‘welcomed’ into the league. Whether it’s jealousy or just outright competitive spirit, Clark has taken more than her share of bumps and bruises from opponents looking to send a message. In so many ways, she’s similar to Michael Jordan, who endured much the same treatment in his early years.
What all the trolls seem to be missing is that it’s good for the WNBA when there’s tension on the court. It’s good for ratings, good for attendance, and good for interest at large. Dwyane Wade, who owns a minority piece of the Chicago Sky, said as much on his latest podcast.
“Everyone has so much negativity when it’s about, ‘Do they like each other, don’t they like each other?’ Wade said. “It don’t matter if they like each other or not if they’re not playing on the same team. If they’re competing, we want them not to like each other, everybody!”
Wade also pointed out how WNBA All-Star Weekend was a huge success (even without Clark being able to participate as she recovers from a groin injury), and a perfect encapsulation of the heights the women’s game has reached.
“Watching all the footage, man it looked like they had a great time, just enjoying being All-Stars, obviously, but enjoying where the game has grown to,” he said.
Clark’s arrival as the league’s biggest star has been especially incredible for the league because it’s proof that a rising tide lifts all boats. All the new fans that have been brought in have also been able to see that there are so many other women deserving of recognition and adulation, from A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu to Napheesa Collier and Kelsey Plum.
The talent level has never been higher in the women’s game. Combine that with some real on-court tension and you have a terrific product, which is why the league was able last year to secure a media rights deal that dwarfed anything it had achieved previously. Collier and Breanna Stewart even founded Unrivaled, a women’s 3-on-3 league, that made a very successful debut this past winter.
The game is only going to continue to grow, especially as young players like Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are able to pull their teams into title contention in the coming years. If there are a few flagrant fouls and beefs between top players, that will only help.
