FC/OT: Caitlin Clark signs rookie contract!

Erial_Lion

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There is lots of research about this. Can’t link now but believe I’ve provided it earlier.
Just looking quickly, there are about 6 American born 7 footers in the NBA. I have to believe there are many more than ~35 7 footers in the population.
 

Midnighter

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Just looking quickly, there are about 6 American born 7 footers in the NBA. I have to believe there are many more than ~35 7 footers in the population.

Fine. Why is men's basketball more entertaining than women's? I know the answer - it's not 'how they play'.



 

Erial_Lion

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Fine. Why is men's basketball more entertaining than women's? I know the answer - it's not 'how they play'.
To me...because it's a lot higher level of competition. Just as I find men's soccer more enjoyable than women's (though still support the women), Heavyweight boxing more enjoyable than Flyweight, major league baseball better than single A, Premier league soccer better than MLS, etc.

I enjoy women's hoops (didn't miss a Lady Lions game in my 4 years)...but care an order of magnitude more about our men's program.
 
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baltimorened

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A lot of NBA players make more in a single game than Caitlin Clark's full season salary. This year, Steph Curry is the highest paid player in the league. Believe it or not, he makes $51,915,615/82 = $633,117/per game.

if we;re in to euity, just lower the men's contract values to the same as the women's.
 

Connorpozlee

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It's not that they're tall; it's because 'being tall' is not something anyone can develop or practice - you are born tall or not. Someone said the women's game isn't as interesting as the men's - I asked why? It's obviously because they can't dunk and 'poster-ize' someone. They can shoot, pass, etc. - so what else is it? Oh wait - just occurred to me....
Everybody can play basketball, everybody can get better at basketball, not everybody can play in the NBA. Also, (almost) everybody can run, everybody can train to run faster, not everybody can run in the Olympics.
It’s not just about dunking. It’s also about the overall athleticism of the game. Men are physically different from women which makes their athleticism different. It’s just not as exciting to watch the women’s game to me.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know where you’re going with that last sentence.
 

Midnighter

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Everybody can play basketball, everybody can get better at basketball, not everybody can play in the NBA. Also, (almost) everybody can run, everybody can train to run faster, not everybody can run in the Olympics.
It’s not just about dunking. It’s also about the overall athleticism of the game. Men are physically different from women which makes their athleticism different. It’s just not as exciting to watch the women’s game to me.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know where you’re going with that last sentence.

Yeah, we'll leave it at that.
 

Midnighter

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This pretty much sums up the outrage

People Angry About Low WNBA Salaries

Is this like a more political The Onion? I'm not saying anyone should watch the WNBA; I'm saying if you love the NBA because *snicker* the competition is better (noting you can literally jump and dunk the ball in the hoop at will) you might also like a version of the game where the players can't do that. Unless what you really love is dunks, which is the reality.
 

LionJim

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Everybody can play basketball, everybody can get better at basketball, not everybody can play in the NBA. Also, (almost) everybody can run, everybody can train to run faster, not everybody can run in the Olympics.
It’s not just about dunking. It’s also about the overall athleticism of the game. Men are physically different from women which makes their athleticism different. It’s just not as exciting to watch the women’s game to me.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know where you’re going with that last sentence.
Agree. I watch Premier League, not MSL, you can see the difference. I don’t watch women's sports, as I find the men’s versions far more appealing.
 

Ludd

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That’s true, but the players 6’10” and up who are the real stars are stars not just because of their height. Sure, Jokic is tall, but his footwork, vision, passing, etc are why he’s great.

Also, you’re talking about just a couple of the positions on the court. Plenty of the top players are in the 6’1-6’5” range too.

Finally, I’m clueless as to why that affects the entertainment value of the sport in any event. Do you hate volleyball too? Baseball pitchers? The average American male is 5’9”, and the average NFL player is 6’2”. That 5” difference is fine by you, but the 4” between there and nba avg of 6’6” renders the sport unwatchable? And why is height as the deciding physical trait offensive, but others are not? Almost nobody is making it big in the NFL without elite speed or fast twitch explosiveness. You can improve things like that, but you’re either born with the level needed or you aren’t, just like height. Why doesn’t that make watching football awful?
Actually, only 13% of the players are under 6’3, so it’s not really plenty of players.
 
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BobPSU92

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Do women in the WNBA play with bigger balls than in college?
 

LionJim

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The average height of NBA players has not been shorter in the last 39 seasons. Lots of interesting information here.

https://runrepeat.com/height-evolution-in-the-nba#:~:text=So%20it's%20not%20strange%20that,under%206'9''.
NBA centers shoot 3s a lot more often nowadays is the one big takeaway. Everyone else is playing on the perimeter, really opens up the game. I enjoy the current NBA game. Never before has there been such a premium on being a good shooter. And the shooting percentages are eye popping.
 

Midnighter

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NBA centers shoot 3s a lot more often nowadays is the one big takeaway. Everyone else is playing on the perimeter, really opens up the game. I enjoy the current NBA game. Never before has there been such a premium on being a good shooter. And the shooting percentages are eye popping.

Do you think being taller is more, or less advantageous when shooting? I know when I get on a kid court and the hoop is 8 feet tall I feel like I can sink it from anywhere…
 

Woodpecker

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The Case for the 12-foot Basket
 
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LionJim

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Do you think being taller is more, or less advantageous when shooting? I know when I get on a kid court and the hoop is 8 feet tall I feel like I can sink it from anywhere…
Shooting is something any good enough athlete can learn to do. I taught myself to shoot from a book, I could shoot the lights out. However tall you are, it’s just a matter of practicing.

Also, players get their shots off fast nowadays, that’s Steph Curry’s influence. Watch Al Horford play sometimes, his teammates are trained to aim their passes at his forehead, catch and shoot, it’s beautiful, .446 and .419 from 3 the last two years, wow.
 
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BW Lion

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wbcbus

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Actually, only 13% of the players are under 6’3, so it’s not really plenty of players.

? I consider 1 out of every 8 to be a fair amount. And many are among the top players (Curry, Brunson, Lillard, Mitchell, etc).
 

Ludd

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? I consider 1 out of every 8 to be a fair amount. And many are among the top players (Curry, Brunson, Lillard, Mitchell, etc).
But seven of eight aren’t, so that makes the other poster’s point pretty valid.
 
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wbcbus

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But seven of eight aren’t, so that makes the other poster’s point pretty valid.

Sure, I also picked an arbitrary height. And whether height matters to the extent he claims or not isn’t really the point in any event, it’s why a relevant necessary trait in hoops is so bothersome, but relevant necessary traits in other sports is not. I’d agree with him if it meant talentless non-athletes that are just tall were great NBA players. But that doesn’t exist.
 

Ludd

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Sure, I also picked an arbitrary height. And whether height matters to the extent he claims or not isn’t really the point in any event, it’s why a relevant necessary trait in hoops is so bothersome, but relevant necessary traits in other sports is not. I’d agree with him if it meant talentless non-athletes that are just tall were great NBA players. But that doesn’t exist.
But I think everyone can agree that not all tall players are great, but most great players are tall. I think that’s the point.
 
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wbcbus

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Depends on your definition of fast.

The average speed for all NFL players is 4.6-4.7 in the 40. Relative to size, it's vital for every position except kickers/punters. Their quickness is even more important. There aren't slow, lumbering NFL players that are great. So football must suck, because it's so dependent on speed and quickness.
 

Ludd

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The average speed for all NFL players is 4.6-4.7 in the 40. Relative to size, it's vital for every position except kickers/punters. Their quickness is even more important. There aren't slow, lumbering NFL players that are great. So football must suck, because it's so dependent on speed and quickness.
I think you’re trying way too hard. The fact that height plays a huge role in whether someone plays in the NBA is not really debatable and certainly shouldn’t be a controversial take.
 
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Midnighter

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I think you’re trying way too hard. The fact that height plays a huge role in whether someone plays in the NBA is not really debatable and certainly shouldn’t be a controversial take.

Basketball is the only sport where height, in addition to length, is a component. Trying to make false equivalencies between speed and size on a football field to height on a basketball court is humorous. They’re not at all comparable. Someone like Manute Bol, who was 7’6”, could have a 12 year career in the NBA because he was tall. He played one year of college basketball. The same isn’t true for football because being big isn’t enough - you need to have good footwork, strength, and technique. There are hundreds of ‘looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane’ types in the NFL who couldn’t cut it. In basketball height makes up for a LOT of other deficiencies.
 

blion72

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I hope Caitlin Clark retires as a billionaire
I like watching her play and whatever she winds up making in her lifetime will be a function of the market. Her earnings outside of WNBA will likely be many times her WNBA comp. The difference between WNBA and NBA pay is nothing but the market. whatever the reasons are for the difference are not relevant - there is just a different market condition. we are a capitalist country and there is not a goal to make pay outcomes identical for everyone. someone is first and someone is last. everyone does not get a ribbon, and every market is different. A surgeon will likely bet paid more than the manager of a local Wendy's. That is why some college athletes are making a ton on their brand (true NIL value) and some have no NIL value. Differences are good and everyone has the same right to pursue happiness - but not guaranteed happiness.
 

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