Analyst denies Caitlin Clark is the ‘savior’ of WNBA
Caitlin Clark’s rookie yr has seen the WNBA break all kinds of attendance, viewership and merchandise information, with the league attracting scores of recent followers and receiving unprecedented media protection.
Naturally, Clark’s affect on the financials of the WNBA has led some to pronounce her “the savior” of a league that beforehand struggled with its reputation.
Nevertheless, veteran WNBA announcer Debbie Antonelli has refuted the idea that Iowa alum “saved” the league.
“The sport did not want saving,” Antonelli mentioned through the stay telecast of Fever versus Wings on Sunday. “I do not know who got here up with ‘Caitlin was a savior’ — that is not true. What the sport wanted was a disruption within the financial market. And that is what we’re seeing right here. That is why it has been so enjoyable to cowl the Fever and watch Fever followers throughout the nation.”
To Antonelli’s level, Fever followers have been flocking to arenas nationwide to cheer for Clark.
As of Sunday’s house finale in opposition to the Wings, Indiana’s video games (together with away fixtures) had pulled in a file 605,358 followers from 39 regular-season video games (15,522 per recreation). To place issues in perspective, the earlier attendance file holder, the Mystics, drew 408,059 followers to their video games within the 1999 season.
It was one more momentous night time for Clark Sunday as she scored a career-high 35 factors to interrupt Seimone Augustus’ file for the highest-scoring season by a rookie (744). The file was the most recent feather within the cap of Clark, who had already set new benchmarks for three-pointers made (120), single-season assists (329), most double-doubles by a guard (14) and most rebounds by a guard (222).
With 761 factors and counting, Clark will look to finish the season on a excessive in opposition to the Mystics on Thursday. Thereafter, she is going to lead the Fever again to the postseason for the first time in eight years, the place they might face both the Lynx, Solar or Aces within the first spherical relying on the ultimate standings.
