Transcendent athletes often carry a double-edged sword. Their ability to resonate with people of all demographics and sports preferences prodigiously grows their respective league, but their widespread fame can also involuntarily move the conversation away from the competition. The women's basketball world is currently experiencing this to full force, via the Caitlin Clark effect.
The Indiana Fever rookie is consistently the focal point in conversations revolving around the WNBA, as major media outlets all across the country break their normal coverage patterns to discuss the 22-year-old sensation. There is the belief that, with a female basketball player commanding this type of unprecedented national attention, Clark's contemporaries and predecessors might be resentful.
Although this narrative has been taking shape for a while, it has especially been fueled by the viral Chennedy Carter foul and Team USA's decision to leave the former Iowa superstar off the Olympics roster. Many like ESPN's Monica McNutt are vehemently shutting down any notion that it is Clark versus the WNBA.
Though, the analyst does believe that current and past talents are being unfairly eclipsed by the newcomer, especially considering that they never experienced such a huge share of the spotlight for their significant contributions to the game.
“While Caitlin is fantastic and I think she's going to have an incredible career in the WNBA, there were women who were worthy of coverage prior to her, and I will not be silenced when it comes to that,” McNutt declared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart.
Monica McNutt maintains her stance after Stephen A. Smith exchange
Neither legends like Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Lisa Leslie and Sue Bird, nor today's top stars like A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Kahleah Copper have been treated like a cultural phenomenon. Surpassing the careers of any of these players is an arduous task, but Caitlin Clark is already the most prominent figure in the sport.
Monica McNutt, a former Georgetown player, does not want the WNBA's existence, history or growth to be directly tied to the Fever guard. She wants those who helped the league claw its way toward better viewership ratings and revenue earnings over the years to also be celebrated for this pivotal breakthrough. Instead, McNutt feels that the media is unfairly insinuating that jealousy is a factor in Clark incurring a hard foul.
Her frustration resulted in her calling out First take star Stephen A. Smith for not doing more to promote the WNBA before Clark burst onto the scene. But therein lies the problem.
Caitlin Clark is lifting the WNBA to a new tier
Despite those aforementioned greats pushing women's basketball forward, the amount of public interest and discourse they generated does not compare to the impact Clark is having in her debut season.
That is just an unfortunate fact that no one can argue. Bemoaning the unfairness of it will ultimately do nothing. But what the entire league can do now is capitalize on the record-breaking attendance rates Caitlin Clark is accumulating for the Fever and WNBA, as it is also drawing more eyeballs to the best the sport has to offer.
The ideal system of meritocracy McNutt clearly and justifiably desires has not elevated the product to the level of popularity she and the rest of the community craves. Prioritizing the business aspect is something that this specific league must always keep in mind. And perhaps then, the fame and glory will be a bit more evenly spread out.
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