As Caitlin Clark reaches the midway point of her second pro season, the prevailing media narrative is taking a distinct turn. During her first season, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year was asked by most observers to modestly accept her role as a newcomer who was not bigger than older stars, nor the league itself. But now, Clark’s defenders in sports media, and the 23-year-old herself, are starting to loudly proclaim her Michael Jordan–esque importance to the box office and TV ratings of women’s basketball. They’re publicly accusing other WNBA stars of petty jealousy—and hypocrisy—for not appreciating Clark’s financial impact on their league.
Dick Vitale of ESPN called out WNBA players over All-Star voting. “Absolutely PURE JEALOUSY that @WNBA players voted Caitlin Clark the 9th best guard. Some day they will realize what she has done for ALL of the players in the WNBA,” the basketball analyst wrote Monday on X/Twitter.
The normally ebullient Dickie V wasn’t finished, returning to social media one day later to proclaim Clark “THE BEST thing to happen to the NBA.” Vitale referenced the hard fouls, cheap shots, and perceived antipathy of established players toward the 23-year-old wunderkind. “It is ABSURD the way that a # of players in the @WNBA have treated @CaitlinClark22!” he tweeted.
We reached out to Vitale about Clark on Wednesday. The legendary analyst hadn’t softened his stance about his perception of players’ treatment of Clark, the former Iowa superstar who became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for men’s and women’s basketball.
“I feel strongly that various players don’t give Caitlin Clark the respect she deserves,” Vitale told FOS. “What she has done to help the WNBA has been unbelievable. Think about it. PR excitement. Ticket sales. TV Ratings and interest. Salary increases. More charter flights than the past. Plus, she is so exciting to watch. Lots of jealousy.”
Vitale is not the only prominent media voice suddenly defending Clark and attacking her WNBA rivals. When Colin Cowherd of FS1 saw how Clark’s fellow WNBA players tried to send her a message through their votes, he said their “pettiness has no bounds.” Said Cowherd: “For years, the WNBA players were pointing fingers. They were saying, ‘People are sexist, the media is sexist, we’re not being promoted, we’re underappreciated.’ And then they get the Golden Goose and they don’t like what it looks like. … I’ve said this for years—when the wave hits, ride it. You don’t know what it looks like, don’t fight it.”
Clay Travis of Outkick went further, saying if referees and the league don’t do more to protect Clark, she should start her own league. “Give other top players small equity stakes,” he tweeted. “The players could own the league in conjunction with media partners. It’s a no-brainer, honestly. She’s worth more than the entire WNBA.”
The competitive Clark’s patience appears to be at an end, too. Clark hopped on Fever teammate Aaliyah Boston’s Instagram Live to joke “everybody in the league is sick,” over their WNBA Commissioner’s Cup win over the Lynx. Her teammates laughed, with Boston adding: “They’re pissed.”
Clark also trolled WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for the league’s longstanding pay issues. “We get more for [winning the Commissioner’s Cup] than you do if you’re a [WNBA] champion,” added Clark on Fever running mate Sydney Colson’s Instagram stream. “Makes no sense! Someone tell [WNBA commissioner] Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out. Cathy, help us out!”
The WNBA and its media partners have good business reasons for selling the story that the league is much more than just one player. But welcome to the new Caitlin Clark narrative. And the new Caitlin Clak. She’s not suffering fools gladly. She and her media defenders are putting WNBA players, and the league itself, on notice that she’ll no longer be a punching bag for their insecurities and aggressions. Clark knows TV viewership for Fever games dropped 30-40% when she was injured earlier this season. She knows she sells out arenas that previously only hosted NBA games. Her first signature shoe alone could be a $150 million business. Once she becomes comfortable with the role of WNBA alpha, there will be no looking back.
