Clark Continues to Dominate

Caitlin Clark has only been in the WNBA for a few weeks and yet she continues to dominate. Her play on the court has been good, not great, but what has continued to dominate is her mental game. Clark has gotten beaten up with hard fouls and faced public criticism of her skills. She has stayed out of the media as much as the greatest WNBA prospect ever can. She wants to play basketball and stay out of drama. Everyone else in the league is making that as hard as possible. A flagrant body check by Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter on Clark has sparked a debate and concerns about player safety. Carter even said that Clark's doesn’t bring anything to the table beyond three-point shooting. Indiana Fever's GM, Lin Dunn, criticized the rough play and called for the league to address it. The league and Clark’s teammates have been criticized for not defending while Clark. Former NBA player Matt Barnes said on his podcast that her teammates not defending her are why the Indiana Fever sit at the bottom of the league.

The WNBA faces questions about how to protect Clark, given her role in boosting attendance and viewership. There are concerns that increased physicality and trash-talking might alienate new fans. Additionally, Clark's lucrative Nike deal has stirred envy among other players, contributing to the drama. The Fever's grueling schedule, with 11 games in 20 days, has added to the stress, both physically and mentally, for the team and Clark. This compressed schedule is partly due to adjustments for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Coach Christie Sides highlighted the exhaustion affecting the team following a heavy loss to the New York Liberty.

The WNBA needs to figure out how to protect their biggest star and do it as quickly as they can. You are lying if you don’t think Caitlin Clark is the sole reason the WNBA has blown up this season. Media coverage of Caitlin Clark during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament from March 20 through April 9 was calculated by Ball State’s College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM), in partnership with Game Day, a media and marketing agency based in Cincinnati. The results are impactful: more than 162,000 media stories featured Clark, resulting in 177 billion media impressions valued at more than $2.6 billion (source: Critical Mention). These staggering numbers have already begun to translate to the WNBA. The Indiana Fever have already surpassed their attendance from the ENTIRE previous season. If Caitlin Clark isn’t protected, their star could get injured and lead to a steep decrease in viewership. Any and everyone involved with the WNBA should understand the impact that she brings to the league and give the respect that she rightly has earned.

Don’t Bet on Yourself

The uneasy relationship between legal sports betting and league operations has come to the forefront with recent suspensions and legal actions. MLB suspended five players on Tuesday, including a lifetime ban on Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. This follows the NBA's lifetime suspension of Raptors center Jontay Porter and federal charges against former Dodgers interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. These incidents highlight the challenges of maintaining competitive integrity amid the growth of legal sports betting, which reached record levels in 2023.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized the responsibility that players have to refrain from betting, even if it is legal for most of the United States. The suspensions that happened today were in reaction to bets that were reported by a legal sportsbook operator. The players, including Marcano, Padres minor league pitcher Jay Groome, Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, and A's pitcher Michael Kelly, performed poorly in their bets and lost significant amounts of money. The main issue was the actual act of betting on MLB games, violating a long-standing principle. Marcano's permanent ban is the first since Pete Rose's in 1989. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges, with sentencing scheduled for October.

Quick Reads

• Padres outfielder Tucupita Marcano is facing a potential lifetime ban for betting on baseball.

• Schools participating in EA Sports College Football 25 will be paid using a tier system ranging from just under $10,000 to nearly $100,000

• Dwyane Wade will join NBC’s broadcast booth for Team USA Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics along with Noah Eagle and LaChina Robinson.

• Paris Saint Germain star, Kylian Mbappe, joins Champions League winning side, Real Madrid

• The Tampa Bay Rays have released the first detailed look at their planned $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg.

Job Openings in Sports

• Social Media Manager, Live Sports - Prime Video (New York, NY)

• Social Media Coordinator - TPH Academy (Open to Remote)

• Football Administrative Assistant - Washington Commanders (Arlington, VA)

• Special Events Coordinator - Philadelphia Phillies (Philadelphia, PA)

• Marketing & Brand Manager - UFC (London, UK)

Games of the Week

• Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics - Thursday @ 8:30 PM EST

• Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers - Saturday @ 8:00 PM EST

• The Memorial Tournament - (Thursday-Sunday)

• Spain vs USA - Saturday @ 5:30 PM EST

• Canadian Grand Prix - Sunday @ 2:00 PM EST

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