It's been tough, but I think I'll pull through even though my eyes still slightly burn from what I saw.

Just to keep tabs on where the "rivalry" is.

The addition of Caitlin Clark to the Indiana Fever has increased their attendance by 425%.

The addition of #7 draft pick Angel Reese as well as #3 draft pick Karmilla Cardoso has increased the Chicago Sky attendance by ~14%.




Word on the street (comments sections) is that Clark's fame is all due to her being a "wyte" girl whose success is the result of Angel Reese having a viral tiktok video of her dancing followed by another viral video of Reese taunting her after she lost the championship last year.

So now arenas are filling up to watch the rivalry......but only arenas where Clark plays, and almost always against people who are not #7 draft pick Angel Reese. So I guess maybe every 3 pointer she makes the fans are like, "Aww shit, I bet Angel is pissed about that one!"

Fun fact: neither Karl Malone nor John Stockton were drafted in the top 10.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

I’m still going strong watching as much as I can. Clark seems to be putting up team best stats for points and assists per game. Funny though that the Fever’s only win she was one of the lowest scoring with 4 or 5 other teammates ahead of her into double digits.

From some reports even Clark’s own teammates are throwing shade at her for staying after to sign autographs for fans which resulted in her showing up late for the presser. Oh well.

This whole thing is bizarre.

The Clark - Reese rivalry is gonna be interesting but I don’t disagree with your take on that thus far.

It could end up being a thing, but I think a whole lot more stars are going to have to align to make that happen. This isn't exactly Evert - Navratilova. Not yet.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Reece's team has won twice as many games as Clark's, with a .400 win percent as compared to .125

How long will those attendance numbers and interest hold with the team dry docked in loserville?

The tickets I looked at two weeks ago for the Indiana-Washington game were averaging in the $500/seat range, more than double the average of other games. I wonder how they're selling today, for a women's basketball game between teams with a combined record of 1-13. I suspect they've cooled off just a bit.

Edit: a quick look on seatgeek and it appears they're down by roughly half. But they're still double NY-Washington and that game is being played at a smaller venue in the same city.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

If you want to do a different comparison I'd say compare what the tickets are going for versus same time last year. My guess is that the low end of this year is still more expensive than last year.

They're still the hottest tickets in the league. I have no doubt they're much higher than last year. Question is, how will it look at the end of this season and the beginning of next. There will be a natural drop off which shouldn't surprise anyone; the question is by how much and will she still be viewed as the savior of a previously irrelevant and insolvent league. My guess is, no. She'll be one of the better offensive players but that's not where the expectations were set when she was setting records against inferior teams and defenders.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Reece wasn't even their number 1 pick. Unless we're on Jerry Springer, I don't see how taunting a star player and getting dragged in the news about it makes you part of a "epic rivalry."

Fun fact if you didn't know: that ring that Reece was bragging about? Are you aware that LSU was in the elite 8 the prior year, and then Reece transferred onto the already successful team as a junior?

Anyway, yes. The Sky has more wins than the Fever. So do 9 other teams.



Side note: I transferred onto an already stacked team my junior year of high school, and we went on to win our county, and I might not have felt too bad about rubbing it in the face of one or more of our opponents if I was just a little more bold. So, yes, I get it.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

I'm a little disappointed that you didn't scratch the surface on my ridiculous use of statistics. They both suck, with Reece's team winning only twice. Their rivalry, such that it was, was entirely contextual and not a clash of titans destined to be bound together in the annals of sport history.

It's crazy to hear that her teammates are shading her when she's brought so much positive attention to the game and career they love. I wonder if she's used any of her new personal fortune for any teambuilding activities or outings, or if she's "spreading the love" by letting them bask in the warm glow of her personal spotlight and whatever perks redound to the team. I would hope it's the former, because if it's the latter I can see how resentment could build.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

This is wild. Don’t see that in the NBA.

https://www.instagram.com/...MXV5eTZ1MWEwNjdqMQ==

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

In other "Female Sports Pioneers News"

https://www.instagram.com/...MXhncmljOGdpN3l6bA==

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Hahaha! That was funny.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Sigh. I've gone down such a rabbit hole in the comments section, and what you wrote, if taken seriously, doesn't even come close to the absurdity of the shit people are saying.

I was just in that zone. Your correct spelling and use of grammar should have tipped me off.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Fun fact: neither Karl Malone nor John Stockton ever won a ring.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

While this is true, it is not especially unique among players not drafted in the Top 10.

This would lead to an interesting question: how many teams have won championships without a top 10 draft pick on their roster?

Hmmm.....the 20/21 Bucks were close. Their top guy was #10.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Try the 2019 Raptors. None of their big players were top 10 picks.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Kawhi Leonard (15th) *should* have been. Got slightly undervalued, coming from San Diego State.

But…. He wasn’t.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

But...he should have been!

...I'm not inserting myself into whatever BarryP spat is ongoing at the minute...just, as a side, pointing out that Kawhi was undervalued in the draft. And throughout his career, I think slightly undervalued. One of those guys who makes the teams he's on better in a quiet way. Vs. some guys with huge stats who seem to make their teams worse.

No doubt. Kawhi, when he feels like playing, is a great player.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Not really valuable to try to draw direct comparisons between NBA and WNBA in this regard, I don't think. Fewer teams, fewer roster spots per team, fewer total players selected in the draft, smaller pool of female players, etc.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Good thing I made no reference to the WNBA! As a lifelong Leonard fan, I was simply making an interjection that Leonard is great, and has always been slightly undervalued (IMO). The quiet type of player who magically makes everyone around him a little better. It's probably no coincidence that Toronto's one title came in the one year they rented Leonard.

I was just replying to you because you were last. Since this thread is decidedly about Caitlyn Clark and women's basketball and the WNBA, it seems pertinent.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)