Current Events > The latest Caitlin Clark hater is apparently former WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes

(+) Yeah! (+)

Please keep in mind that this viewpoint is coming from a former NY Liberty season ticket holder, who has probably watched more WNBA games than every person that has posted in this thread combined...

Everything about Clark, other than her actual on the court statistics is media driven.

They were the one that put her up on the pedestal, they are the ones trying to knock her off of it.

They made her the #1 hero and #1 villain of the league, and you all bought into it.

Women ball out on the court as well. Women play hard, women foul hard. Been happening for YEARS. Rivalries have been around for years. Players hating each other, both opponents and teammates, has been around for years.

Only problem is, many, MANY people are only seeing it for the first time this year, as it's the first time they've ever watched more than 4 minutes or woman's basketball because they forgot to change the channel.

Other than how the media handles it, I have seen nothing different in way they play the game this season vs years past.

when did I say I cared about her race ?

all Ive said is I care about the way the media and some fans (like yourself) weaponize her whiteness.

Please keep in mind that this viewpoint is coming from a former NY Liberty season ticket holder, who has probably watched more WNBA games than every person that has posted in this thread combined...

Everything about Clark, other than her actual on the court statistics is media driven.

They were the one that put her up on the pedestal, they are the ones trying to knock her off of it.

They made her the #1 hero and #1 villain of the league, and you all bought into it.

Women ball out on the court as well. Women play hard, women foul hard. Been happening for YEARS. Rivalries have been around for years. Players hating each other, both opponents and teammates, has been around for years.

Only problem is, many, MANY people are only seeing it for the first time this year, as it's the first time they've ever watched more than 4 minutes or woman's basketball because they forgot to change the channel.

Other than how the media handles it, I have seen nothing different in way they play the game this season vs years past.

please point out where i said you hate her in this last post. You clearly have some bias against her, but i didnt say that at all right there. Youre calling her a white savior damsel in distress, which is just wtf tier.

Youre the one being weird about this, not anyone else.

theyre are literally people in this exact topic saying everyone who dislikes her is jealous, she is saving the league and deserves special treatment

and you act like Im making it up

"Where did I say I care about her race?"

"All I said was..." *Proceeds to explain why he cares about her race*

You're not very good at this

But what do you count as media is my question? Swoopes is media but she was also a star player in the WNBA. Is her hatred of Clark fake? Are player interviews media? That causes a lot of beef and rivalries too.

Sports and media are heavily intertwined and always have been. Pretty much any story from any player in any sport is media driven. It just seems strange to say its just the media saying this when media has direct impact on the sport whether we like it or not

Bit it IS just the media saying it, or fans parroting the media.

The media creates the narrative, and the fans discussions are steered by those narratives.

Ask any person that has an opinion on Clark, positive or negative, to name 4 players on the NY Liberty. Id bet 75% of them couldnt do it. And that the (arguably) best team in the league.

Thats all the proof you need to show that this is about storylines and not sports.

Bit it IS just the media saying it, or fans parroting the media.

The media creates the narrative, and the fans discussions are steered by those narratives.

Ask any person that has an opinion on Clark, positive or negative, to name 4 players on the NY Liberty. Id bet 75% of them couldnt do it. And that the (arguably) best team in the league.

Thats all the proof you need to show that this is about storylines and not sports.

Who is saying she deserves special treatment? Find me that quote.

And bruh she literally is the reason why there is so much spotlight on the league right now. Are you actually denying that? The numbers from this season are objectively undeniable.

I think a lot of people recognize that pro sports is just as much about creating entertainment as it is about pure skill. It is largely impossible to predict who is going to be a breakout star in the entertainment side of what IS a business. As shitty as that sounds, as downright pragmatic as it is, if you have more stars (for whatever reason that is), it puts more money into the business of professional sports, which means EVERY athlete has a chance to make more money.

To suggest Caitlin Clark should have been left off the Olympic team is ridiculous. She is having the kind of season she is having without being surrounded with the best players in the game.

You put her with other Olympic quality ballers? She belongs there.

To me it feels like some people want her to "pay her dues" or something. Like she has to prove she belongs in the league and in the conversation around being with the best players in the league. I get playing hard, I get fouling to try and get her off her game and in her head. It happens to the best players of all time.

Not saying she is MJ levels of greatness, but I don't recall very many PLAYERS, even in MJ's early years, discounting how good he was. They would talk shit like most athletes do, but they were not discounting his natural skill and ability.

Feels like Clark is being targeted rather than being celebrated. To me, if someone in the leagues takes off and brings more attention to it, EVERYONE benefits. I'm not saying they have to fucking kiss her feet or some shit, but recognize that the WNBA has grown be leaps and bounds this year. Bird and Magic did it, MJ did it, Shaq did it, LeBron did it. Anytime you get a star it grows the game and everyone benefits.

Any WNBA player or former player, yes. That's undeniable. Any non-jealous person would love her for being largely responsible for their industry's larger TV contracts and the tripling/quadrupling of their salary in the next couple years

If there's any "damsel in distress" narrative, it's the WNBA itself. They were single handedly brought into relevancy by Caitlin Clark

She's the one doing the saving, much to the chagrin of racists such as yourself. She doesn't need saving

Any WNBA player or former player, yes. That's undeniable. Any non-jealous person would love her for being largely responsible for their industry's larger TV contracts and the tripling/quadrupling of their salary in the next couple years

If there's any "damsel in distress" narrative, it's the WNBA itself. They were single handedly brought into relevancy by Caitlin Clark

She's the one doing the saving, much to the chagrin of racists such as yourself. She doesn't need saving

its literally four post on the last page saying she deserved to be on the womens US Olympic team despite not doing anything for the US Olympic team and not being the best player or even a top 5 player in the league.

Whyd they bring Taurasi to the olympics if it was only about being the best player

She was brought for legacy purposes, not because shes a top 5 player

Points - 6th overall
3 pointers - 1st overall
D-Rebounds - 13th overall (16th overall for rebounds of any kind)
Assists - 1st overall
Steals - 11th overall
Blocks - 16th overall

Taurasi has done a lot for USA basketball, what has Caitlin done ?

Making the WNBA a bigger mainstream success than ever before so far. She did do that no matter how much you want to deny it.

So its not about being the best player anymore for the olympics? Are you giving Taurasi special treatment because she was much better at a younger point in her career

what does the WNBA have to do with USA basketball ?

and taurasi is the greatest Olympic basketball player ever

You mean the team entirely made up of WNBA players? Be for real dude

So yes, youre okay with giving Taurasi special treatment because of past accomplishments despite being well past her prime

yeah the two entirely separate organizations ?

the USA team doesnt care if the wnba makes money lmao

yes Im okay with the USA team playing favorites with people who have done a lot for them.

yeah the two entirely separate organizations ?

the USA team doesnt care if the wnba makes money lmao

yes Im okay with the USA team playing favorites with people who have done a lot for them.

She's not a Top 5 player in the league? I'm gonna look at some season stats so far...

Points - 6th overall
3 pointers - 1st overall
D-Rebounds - 13th overall (16th overall for rebounds of any kind)
Assists - 1st overall
Steals - 11th overall
Blocks - 16th overall

She has a CRAP TON of turnovers, the highest in the league by quite a lot. I can't speak to being a big basketball person, but wouldn't you want a guard to hit 3 pointers and dish out assists, when you surround her with other top players in the world? I mean the US dominates regardless in women's basketball so it's a moot point, but is the women's game that different from the men's game? Would you not want a shooting guard to toss up 3 pointers?

Is that not the natural growth of a sports league though? Again, I'm 40 so I can't SPEAK exactly to the OLD SCHOOL NBA that Bird and Magic entered into, but even in the 90's I could name you most of the Bulls players cause damn, but like... the Rockets won two titles in the 90's and I can name you Hakeem from that team.

Basketball in particular is a sport of superstars and then "everyone else", unless you follow a particular team closely.

Taurasi has done a lot for USA basketball, what has Caitlin done ?

The US could likely field a second team that would still have won gold they're so far ahead in development when it comes to women's basketball. They didn't really need to think about how to best compete like with the men's team. It was definitely about optics and in some cases giving some players their likely final Gold medal. It happens

I mean at least you admit youre okay with special treatment for some people lmao. You just cant use that against Clark if you make the argument that its okay for some people

But yeah you have a clear bias against Clark so stop trying to deny that. If the olympics was only about the best players you can argue Clark shouldnt have been there, but neither should Taurasi.

Give them a better chance at winning?

You know...the FUCKING point of actual playing.

Legacy fanboys are the absolute worst and their say in sports should be automatically ignored.

who has probably watched more WNBA games than every person that has posted in this thread combined...

No disrespect, but the fact that you don't rememember that Drexler was on those Houston teams, or that began the run of Robert Horry becoming one of the most decorated "champions" in league history is kinda sad.

But that's teams from 30 years ago. Most of the Clark haters (and lovers) can't name a dozen other players playing TODAY. Just they follow the media hype and pick a side.

the girl whos never played with any of these players, has never played Fiba basketball and has missed 2+ years of USA basketball events. Will definitely give team USA a better chance than an established vet.

it sounds more like you guys dont know the team USA selection process more than anything.

Legacy fanboys are the absolute worst and their say in sports should be automatically ignored

the girl whos never played with any of these players, has never played Fiba basketball and has missed 2+ years of USA basketball events. Will definitely give team USA a better chance than an established vet.

it sounds more like you guys dont know the team USA selection process more than anything.

Taurasi averaged 1 PPG. As in... one point per game

This fuckin guy lmao

There is more discussion on here for the WNBA than there ever was for the NBA

If you think Caitlin Clark should of gotten on team USA for being Caitlin Clark thats fine.

but dont also deny her fanbase wants special treatment from her?

Toxic femininity and racism

It definitely seems like jealousy across the board with these WNBA ladies.

If you think Caitlin Clark should of gotten on team USA for being Caitlin Clark thats fine.

but dont also deny her fanbase wants special treatment from her?

If you think Caitlin Clark should of gotten on team USA for being Caitlin Clark thats fine.

but dont also deny her fanbase wants special treatment from her?

Youre again doing the same exact fucking thing youre saying others do

You're saying Taurasi made the team because shes Taurasi. Not even prime Taurasi, but her name allowed her to make the team. Youre okay with it when its not clark

I think it is important to look at the current NBA culture to understand why new WNBA fans are maybe a bit confused as to why their current favorite player getting fucking bodied is strange.

Star players in the NBA do get "star treatment". That is the norm, it is expected, and it is what happens. Is that right or wrong? I couldn't tell you, I can only say what is true. LeBron gets calls that other players don't. Steph gets calls other players don't.

So I think new fans expecting the leagues to be somewhat similar in that regard is understandable? I don't know the WNBA enough to know if any star players get the star treatment like that or if things are generally called down the middle. I'm ignorant to the women's game as I've demonstrated in this topic.

Youre again doing the same exact fucking thing youre saying others do

You're saying Taurasi made the team because shes Taurasi. Not even prime Taurasi, but her name allowed her to make the team. Youre okay with it when its not clark

He's established himself as just a true hater of Clark. Stats and reality don't matter to haters...just their hate.

To literally say that Clark would not have had better stats in the Olympics than Taurasi did is not even worth debating. It's utter clownshoes at this point. Like I said before....he should just be ignored.

you entirely ignored my point about how Taurasi has actually done a lot of Team USA and Caitlin as done nothing ?

thats the difference here and you conveniently ignore it.

i never said shed have better stats.

id said shed have more value.

then I made a joke about her averaging more fiba points last year than Caitlin ever has.

i troll with you because you have no idea what youre talking about

Uhhh shes played in drastically more Fiba games than anyone on any USA Olympic basketball team ?

except maybe Jimmer Fredette I dont know what rules the leauge he played for played with off the top of my heads

She scored an average of 1 point per game. Be fucking for real.

and Caitlin hasnt played or practiced fiba basketball in any official setting.

Do you genuinely believe that Clark would score less than 1 point per game

There is no fucking way

Not at all. Im just acknowledging shes never scored or practiced in Fiba.

which you tend to ignore when saying she should be playing.

while also saying she isnt getting special treatment