There are three types of people in this world. One is the overenthusiastic, rabid fan of sports; the second is the person who absolutely hates sports; and the last is the individual like me who could care less.
As you’re reading this, I’m pretty sure you are mentally conjuring up images of personal encounters with people who neatly fit into each of these categories.
That being said, I was somewhat surprised a few years ago when I was dating a single woman who was a mother to a high school daughter who played basketball. The daughter was not very good, and each game only cemented the fact she was not going to college on a basketball scholarship.
In fact, the surprise came in the form of there being a girls basketball team, period. I, too played basketball in both school and on neighborhood playgrounds; I was no better than this woman’s daughter, but the secret was I knew my skills and limitations.
Such life lessons can be cruel, but all are valuable.
So it was with interest that I noticed a sports-related news story about a phenom recently appearing on the basketball scene. The timing couldn’t have been better, what with the upcoming quadrennial Summer Olympics, which are to be held in France this year.
It seems that professional women’s basketball is officially played through a league called the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and has been so since the mid-1990’s. After all these years, the WNBA has been met with very little in the way of success for a variety of reasons.
Evidently, WNBA players largely consist of women who are low-scoring whiners, as well as appearing overly-masculine. Such a combination appears to remain a mystery as to why the male portion of the population is not attracted to this sport, only drawing more whining from the WNBA players, themselves.
Simple economics explains why the lack of viewership has resulted in the bargain prices of WNBA game tickets. Watching someone – anyone – dribble a ball should actually be seen as punishment, rather than commanding exorbitant hard-earned Bidenomics dollars.
Short of providing a show of someone duct taping Taylor Swift’s mouth while enjoying a prime rib dinner, commanding $25 per ticket to see the Las Vegas Aces – the reigning champions – would be the only incentive to cough up that kind of money for what you receive in return.
Being self-perceived victims in their WNBA world, WNBAers have discovered a solution to the slow sales of their low-ticket prices: find a gimmick that would attract people to attend games and watch their games on television.
Enter Caitlin Clark. I don’t know much about Clark other than what I’ve seen on TV or casually read on the interweb. Evidently Clark is phenom who until 2024, played basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and now plays professional basketball for the Indiana Fever.
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| The Golden Goose |
According to nearly all on-line stories, Clark has excelled at scoring by consistently making 3-point shots, thereby pushing The Fever to regular wins. Applying the law of supply and demand, ticket prices to see Clark play has dramatically risen by $100 per seat, to sell-out crowds.
Such a meteoric rise in interest has even encouraged ESPN to begin broadcasting WNBA games and generated insatiable sales of her number 22 jersey. It seems as though the WNBA’s Golden Goose has been found.
What could possibly go wrong with this magical, emotional elixir, you ask.
Thanks for asking; racism and jealousy are the definitive answers.
Unfortunately, Caitlin Clark is not like the large majority of the WNBA – Clark is white, heterosexual, and even keeled, almost to the point of being a reasonable adult in a world of professional children’s games.
Easily outscoring her fellow teammates, Clark has been the target of what would be an arrestable offense of assault off the basketball court. Being purposely shoved onto the hardwood floors, deliberately elbowed and intentionally bonked on the head, her opponents have been regularly demonstrating frustration and jealousy at the new true, genuine athlete.
Not being a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hire, Clark has fielded post-game interviews with aplomb and grace, much the chagrin of her on-court assailants. Of course, the equally annoyed sportscasters – many of whom are as race-driven as Clark’s opponents – continue to throw tripe in an attempt to smear true talent over the long-held WNBA DEI hiring norms.
Being unable to compete with someone who worked hard, and elucubrated on inherent gifts, these envious women basketball thugs can only outdo Clark with physical violence.
Proving just how petty these female bigots truly are, the USA Women’s Olympic Basketball Team has decided to exclude this acquisition of adeptness and talent from participating in the 2024 Olympics as a USA representative. A mumbled excuse that Caitlin Clark wasn’t seasoned enough to play in such an important game was issued.
Clark, being her usual self, smiled and accepted her biased snub. Of course, time will tell as to how intellectually accurate this decision was.
Receiving exactly for which they so ardently wished, the WNBA has reached a crossroad. After publicly crying about the low pay in the WNBA, these covetous haters are suddenly, spitefully angry a newcomer has apparently solved their money problem.
Excluding her presence from the Olympics, using her as punching bag, and badmouthing her professional “weakness,” is doing nothing except further ruining the WNBA along with women’s sports.
Looks as though the WNBA is having The Golden Goose for dinner.
