Wnba’s worst nightmare has finally come true. While the LPGA Just Made a Brilliant Move, a Small, Vocal Faction Within the League Has Been Attacking Caitlin Clark and Her Fans for Months.
In addition to welcoming her, they are organizing a significant event around her, and the media is taking notice. This has turned into a master class on how to handle a superstar, as well as a brutal public humiliation of the Wnba’s disastrous failure to do the same. This is a story about a shocking sports failure that goes beyond golf.
Caitlin Clark’s ascent has been a unique occurrence in the high-stakes, dizzying world of professional sports. By all measures, she is the most alluring figure in basketball. She is a multigenerational talent whose influence pulls the entire media landscape in her direction. It is a straightforward, indisputable fact. The reason the current situation is so completely strange is because Caitlin Clark attracts a sizable crowd to an LPGA pro-am in Florida. Basketball is not the sport this week that is most actively, strategically, and vocally constructing its future around Caitlin Clark.
It’s golf. The LPGA has thrown the WNBA star a lavish welcome, which is equal parts strategic brilliance and a silent, vicious humiliation of another league. The Golf Channel is treating Clark’s upcoming appearance in a high-profile Pro-Am with the pomp and circumstance of a major event. She is being featured as the main event, not just mentioned. She is proudly listed as the main attraction in the promotional materials, and there will be extensive coverage.
This goes beyond a mere cameo by a famous person. This all-star lineup is intended to have the biggest possible impact. Nelly Korda, the current world number one and one of golf’s most well-known faces, and tournament host Annika Sörenstam, a golf legend, are joining Clark at the tee.
In its analysis, The Golf Channel is being refreshingly honest and self-aware. Commentators are ecstatic and freely express how Clark’s presence is revolutionizing women’s golf. According to Bethan Nichols, one analyst, “I can’t remember a time I was this excited for a pro-am.” Another pointed out that although “saturation coverage of celebrities” is typical in men’s golf, it is not the same in women’s golf. It’s “impactful.”
They are ecstatic. Their enthusiasm for the “unique opportunity” for new fans—young children, families, and Clark’s enormous fan base—to witness their sport, possibly for the first time, is not being concealed. It appears that the LPGA has adopted a new idea: you welcome someone who attracts millions of new viewers to join your sport.
Their fans are not questioned. You don’t deflect. You send a vehicle. This whole situation has unintentionally turned into the most vicious criticism of the WNBA that can be found. It draws attention to the main, frustrating paradox of the Caitlin Clark era: “Every league wants Caitlin Clark involved in it… except for the WNBA.”
The WNBA, or at least a strong and vocal minority within it and its affiliated media, has been involved in a persistent, perplexing campaign of what can only be described as incompetent self-sabotage, while the LPGA is employing “common sense” to advance its game.
The disparity is startling. The Golf Channel’s discussion of Clark’s influence is one of unadulterated opportunity. “Whataboutism” does not exist. “Well, we’re excited for Caitlin, but what about the impact of Lilia Vu?” is not a common statement made by golf analysts. How about Rose Zhang? They recognize that the presence of a superstar elevates all other players on the tour by bringing in more cameras, sponsors, and fans.
Now contrast that with the WNBA. A group of players and media figures have promoted a narrative of resentment and deflection ever since Clark was drafted. “But what about A’ja Wilson?” is the first response to any compliment regarding Clark’s stellar ratings.
Arguments concerning the “real” MVP are used to refute any mention of her as the league’s spokesperson, as if Wilson’s skill on the court—who was the almost unanimous MVP—is somehow diminished by acknowledging Clark’s commercial influence. This “whataboutism” is destroying the league’s momentum. It is a defensive crouch from a league that was given the biggest audience in its history on a silver platter after decades of battling for one. and made the decision to give them a lecture.
After sex toys were thrown on the court, WNBA players demanded action. The WNBA’s failure is a fundamental media “incompetence,” not merely a PR gaffe. It appears that the league and its allies have let the most antagonistic, divisive voices steer the conversation. WNBA-sponsored podcasts and social media feeds have been filled with personalities who, rather than embracing the new “Caitlin fans,” call this new, paying-customer fan base “toxic,” “racist,” or just “uneducated” for failing to treat the league’s veterans with “proper respect.”
Consider this being done by the LPGA. Imagine the Golf Channel saying, “We really don’t want you,” as they survey the influx of new viewers. We have heard that you are all extremely toxic, and it’s likely that you are unaware of Annika Sörenstam’s identity. It would be a business disaster.
However, the WNBA has been sending this message for months. As some insiders point out, the tragedy is that this negativity probably originates from a very small portion of the league, maybe 10% of the players. The vast majority are probably ecstatic about the primetime TV slots, sold-out arenas, and chartered flights that the “Caitlin Clark effect” has directly produced. However, the media ecosystem, which favors conflict over celebration, amplifies the 10% who are vocal.
Alternative media now have a huge opportunity as a result of this internal failure. Fans go elsewhere when they can’t watch the league’s official channels without being insulted. They visit YouTube. They turn to social media influencers who share their confusion about the league’s ineptitude and aren’t afraid to express what many people are thinking: the WNBA is making mistakes.
The WNBA’s position is made even more absurd by the global context. The “Caitlin Clark effect” is boosting women’s basketball globally. Last summer, a Greek professional league reported a huge increase in viewership, which they directly attributed to Clark’s creation of a new, international interest in women’s basketball. Because of her, the sport as a whole is expanding. She is only viewed as a problem to be solved rather than a phenomenon to be let loose in the WNBA’s domestic bubble.
Playing in an LPGA pro-am, Caitlin Clark exits the court and enters the fairway. The Seattle Times The simplicity of the LPGA’s move makes it so brilliant. Simply put, they are conducting business well. They are giving a celebrity and her followers a warm, encouraging environment. By doing this, they have positioned themselves for a huge victory and, without even trying, have made the WNBA’s internal dysfunction publicly visible.
It’s a tale of two leagues. A person with an abundance mindset knows that everyone shines brighter when they are surrounded by a superstar. Because it fears that one player will receive too much attention, the other is stuck in a scarcity mindset and would sooner ruin its own historic moment than share it.
The WNBA is left to deal with a problem that it created on its own as the Golf Channel gets ready for its record-breaking Pro-Am ratings and a new wave of fans. A rival sport has brought it to light, and the lesson is painfully obvious: you cannot create a league by disparaging your own supporters.
