Public outcry has erupted over the recent Wall Street Journal article titled “Inside the WNBA’s Big, Bold, Record-Breaking Year,” which highlighted A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese but failed to acknowledge Caitlin Clark’s significant contributions to the league’s historic season.
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“How the WNBA went from struggling for attention on the fringes of American sports to capturing public interest like never before,” the Wall Street Journal stated in a post on X.
Following the post, several angry replies from readers criticized the publication for overlooking Clark, the outstanding rookie player.
Caitlin Clark is the reason behind the surge in new fans of the WNBA! This article is outrageous!😡
— Monica L (@MLoganLandes) October 17, 2024
Terrible display of bias and racism in your article’s approach. Moreover, it’s completely false!!! Caitlin spearheaded the growth initiative from the start, leading to increased attendance in other arenas as the season progressed. Your publication is utter nonsense if you publish this misinformation.
— Jonathan Parker (@metalmancpa) October 17, 2024
Omitting Caitlin Clark discredits this article 😪
— Cameron Neilon (@cjpneilon) October 17, 2024
One of the main reasons why fans prefer watching the women’s league over the men’s is barely acknowledged in this biased article.
— Mitch Williams (@MitchLeeDubya) October 17, 2024
Both the WNBA and WSJ need to be more insightful! The players highlighted in this story are the least likeable in the league. Promoting Phee, Caitlin, Sabrina, Aliyah, Kelsey, Arike, Courtney, Cameron, Kamilla, Kah, Sophie, Satou, Jon
quelle…the list goes on. Change the narrative and watch the money roll in— caryn farmer (@carynjeanne) October 17, 2024
The Fevers’ final playoff game attracted 2.5 million viewers. Game one of the finals drew 1.1 million viewers. An improvement from last year? Certainly. But disregarding the impact of Clark, as this article does, is just disheartening.
— Ekky’s World (@Ekstranded) October 17, 2024
When it comes to public attention for the WNBA, the first player that springs to mind is undoubtedly Clark. As a rookie, she had the highest-selling jersey in the league.
Clark shattered numerous WNBA records and was awarded the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year title. The Indiana Fever guard played a vital role in guiding her team to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
She attracted a fresh audience to the sport and is widely regarded as the most popular player in the league. Her influence on the WNBA is undeniable.
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Despite Clark’s status as a household name, she was not prominently featured in the Wall Street Journal’s narrative on the record-breaking WNBA year.
The article opened with the Las Vegas Aces’ transition from their 10,000-seat venue to T-Mobile Arena to accommodate the growing number of fans attending the Aces’ games against the Chicago Sky.
Although the move occurred in September, the first team to compel the Aces to play at T-Mobile Arena was the Indiana Fever, home to the outstanding rookie Clark.
Various teams opted to relocate their matches against the Fever to larger arenas to cater to the influx of fans, a fact omitted from the article.
Clark was only mentioned once in relation to the 2023 National Championship when Reese reportedly taunted her, according to numerous fans.
There was no acknowledgment of Clark being the first rookie since 2008 to receive first-team All-WNBA honors, nor was there any mention of her being the first rookie in WNBA history to achieve a triple-double.
As a result, readers turned to social media to express their views on the article, criticizing it as “agenda-driven” and displaying “blatant ignorance” towards Clark.
Credit must be given where it is due. While Clark may not be the league’s best player, she will always be recognized as a pivotal force in reshaping women’s basketball.
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