Following Caitlin Clark’s departure, Jason Whitlock argued that the WNBA is still relying on the NBA and ‘charity of males’ after TV watching figures for the playoffs plunged.Clark’s first season came to an end when the Indiana Fever lost their second consecutive game to the Connecticut Sun last Wednesday, knocking them out of the playoffs in the first round.
The 22-year-old’s season came to an end in front of a record WNBA audience of 2.54 million, up from 1.84 million for the opening game of the series on September 22. However, with Indiana out of the contention, the first weekend of WNBA playoff games without Clark failed to generate the same level of attention.
The first semifinal game between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces, two of the league’s most popular and successful teams, drew an attendance of only 929,000, according to ESPN.
Jason Whitlock has stated the WNBA is still depending on the NBA and ‘charity of males’.
WNBA TV viewership ratings for the playoffs have plunged following Caitlin Clark’s departure.
Meanwhile, around 650,000 people watched Game 1 of the Minnesota Lynx vs. Connecticut Sun semifinal. Whitlock has stated that the league’s success is solely dependent on Clark, and that her opponents’ mentalities must change.
He stated: “They are flying around on private jets while losing $50 million per year.” Living off NBA charity. They cannot attract attendance or broadcast ratings without one woman (Clark).
‘Living on men’s charity yet wishing to persuade you that “oh, if you only knew how hard it was for me”. ‘This is insane. The “twice as hard” mentality must go.
It comes a day after Whitlock attacked WNBA legend Sue Bird, calling her a ‘attention whore’ for remarks she made to partner Megan Rapinoe on their podcast.
During their interview, Bird argued that racism was affecting the WNBA ‘long before this year’ and that basketball abilities in her day were frequently neglected, just as they are now.
In the same show, former USWNT soccer star Rapinoe slammed the ‘racist’ issue at the heart of USA Today columnist Christine Brennan’s ongoing feud with the WNBA players union.
In reaction to Bird, Whitlock stated that she and other former players do not ‘want to talk about basketball’ and that her generation was disregarded due to their lack of talent.
He also accused them of only discussing racism and sexism during their careers to draw attention to themselves, and claimed the WNBA was once ‘a drag show’ with players ‘performing an impersonation of guys’.
